The Public Wireless Local Area Network (PWLAN) is an emerging service for wireless access to the Internet. However, the service coverage of the PWLAN is limited by the deployment of access points (APs) because only those who stay near the AP can access the PWLAN. A feasible way of extending the service coverage of a PWLAN is to deploy mobile ad hoc access networks (MAHANs) so that users who are not in an AP's radio coverage area can send their packets to the AP in a multihop manner. However, in a MAHAN, mobile nodes that intend to access the Internet have to discover routes to the AP first, which may result in considerable bandwidth cost. In this paper, we propose the Appointed BrOadcast (ABO) method to reduce the cost of route discovery in MAHANs. Using the ABO method can achieve this goal on the basis of packet overhearing. Functions that are necessary for network and data link layers to employ the ABO method are also discussed. Simulation results show that using the ABO method can significantly reduce the cost on route discoveries. Due to the widespread use of legacy IEEE 802.11 nodes, the problem of how ABO-enhanced and legacy IEEE 802.11 nodes can coexist in a MAHAN is also discussed.

In wired networks, broadcast and multicast transmissions can be easily achieved by data link layer (layer 2). Nevertheless, it is a big challenge to safely transfer broadcast or multicast data frames over multihop mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) due to the high bit error rate, the high collision probability and the lack of acknowledgment. Additionally, most of MANET's routing protocols rely on the broadcast function to exchange essential routing packets between mobile nodes and need the multicast function to make more efficient use of network bandwidth for some particular multimedia applications. From our observations, the efficiency of the unicast/multicast routing protocol of finding the path/tree is highly dependent on supported broadcast schemes of the underlying media access control (MAC) protocol. Therefore, in this paper, we illustrate the uncertain broadcast problem due to no replying acknowledgment from any recipients when mobile nodes deliver broadcast frames in wireless networks. We, then, propose a novel reliable broadcast scheme to solve this problem as well as a reliable multicast scheme to enhance the network utilization in data link layer. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme, which is still compatible with IEEE 802.11 standard, can efficiently minimize the bandwidth consumption as well as propagation delay.

In this paper, we propose simple but effective modifications of 802.11 MAC (media access control) to resolve efficiency and fairness issues, in wireless ad-hoc networks [2]. Our proposal, based on the flow concept, incorporated faster end-to-end forwarding by assigning higher priority to a node that has packets to relay than others. After completion of end-to-end transmission, the node will be assigned a lower priority level to yield to other nodes. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme (F-MAC) significantly enhances the throughput of ad-hoc networks, while keeping fair sharing of bandwidth among mobile nodes.

This letter studies the effect of node mobility on application-level QoS of audio-video multipath streams in wireless ad hoc networks. The audio-video streams are transmitted with the MultiPath streaming scheme with Media Synchronization control (MPMS), which was previously proposed by the authors. We perform computer simulation with a grid topology network of IEEE 802.11b including two mobile nodes. The simulation results show that MPMS is effective in achieving high application-level QoS in mobile networks as well.

In this paper, we present Blueweb, a new Bluetooth-based multihop network with an efficient scatternet formation algorithm and a hybrid routing protocol. The Blueweb is designed from the original idea of Bluetree. Blueweb's scatternet formation uses two mechanisms. One is the role exchange mechanism in which only slave nodes serve as the role of relay through the whole scatternet. The other one is the return connection mechanism in which we convert the scatternet from a tree-shaped to a web-shaped topology. Meanwhile, a modified source routing protocol is designed for Blueweb in which we combine the proactive method with the reactive method to discover the optimal path for packet transmission. Furthermore, using computer simulations we compared the system performance of Blueweb and Bluetree with both a static model and a uniform traffic model. With the static model we evaluate the scatternet performance and with the uniform traffic model we evaluate the transmission performance. Our simulation results show that Blueweb achieves superior system performance than Bluetree on both scatternet performance and transmission performance.

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self-organizing and adaptive wireless network constructed by the dynamic gathering of mobile nodes (MNs). The communication among MNs in MANETs is carried out without base stations or access points and the transmission of data packets is completed through relays among nodes. Due to the mobility of MNs, the topology of a MANET frequently changes and thus results in the disability of on-the-fly data transmission routes. To cope with the intrinsic properties of MANETs, Dynamic Backup Routes Routing Protocol (DBR2P), a distributed backup routes mechanism for quick reconnection during link failures, is proposed in this paper. DBR2P is an on-demand routing protocol which can set up many backup routes to reach a destination node in a given period of time. The information of backup routes can be saved in a specific on-the-route node and enables backup routes to be found immediately in situation regarding disconnection. When a link fails, routes from the source node to the destination node are analyzed to obtain backup routes and to sustain quick reconnection. As a result, DBR2P could more thoroughly improve the quality of routing than previous routing protocols.

Bluetooth is reputed as a wireless networking technology capable of forming ad-hoc networks between digital devices. In particular, the Bluetooth scatternet will be an essential part of the fully distributed ad-hoc networks. However, scatternet is not fully described in the Bluetooth specification. This has been the topic of discussion among researches in relation to the formation algorithm, scheduling scheme, etc. Most of the proposed algorithms reported in past researches on scatternet formation are too large and complex to be implemented in a real commercial Bluetooth hardware. Therefore, the verifications of the proposed algorithms reported in past researches were done through only simulations. In addition, the formation process takes too long and these past researches had been conducted only in static environment where no node enters or leaves the scatternet. In this paper, therefore, we propose a new scatternet formation algorithm called Node Ring Scatternet (NRS), emphasizing on two aspects, i.e. implementation and dynamic property of the algorithm. The algorithm is very simple and compact and is verified to be easily implementable in a real commercial Bluetooth device. For the dynamic properties, the NRS entails relatively short formation delay and a reformation algorithm in a dynamic environment was designed. Therefore, the network of the NRS can be scalable and flexible. In addition, a new protocol called SFMP (Scatternet Formation & Management Protocol) was designed and is presented herein. Using this protocol, the NRS algorithm was implemented in a real Bluetooth device, and the performance was verified through hardware experiments. Based on the experimental results, it was found that the NRS composed of up to 20 nodes is formed and the proposed algorithm has shown improvement in terms of formation delay, formation probability and reformation.

This paper discusses multicast routing in ad hoc networks. In multicast routing, a node delivers the same message to the other nodes within a multicast group along with a multicast tree. Since nodes are moving around in ad hoc networks, the links between the nodes change frequently. However, the multicast tree must be maintained to deliver the messages regardless of the link changes. This paper gives a description of an autonomous clustering-based hierarchical multicast routing protocol in ad hoc networks. Since the autonomous clustering scheme is adaptive to the node movement, the proposed multicast routing can maintain the multicast tree in despite of link changes. This paper shows the effectiveness of autonomous clustering-based hierarchical multicast routing from the point of view of adaptability to link changes and scalability to multicast members.

This paper discusses effective configuration methods for peer-to-peer (P2P) network topologies within a mobile ad-hoc network. With recent progress in mobile ad-hoc network technology promoting the creation of new and attractive services, we are examining and developing P2P network systems for operation within ad-hoc networks. Our focus is on identifying methods of network-topology control that provide the best balance between performance and availability. We evaluate three methods through computer simulation and field trials from the viewpoints of resource consumption and network integrity, and clarify their domains of applicability. The results are expected to contribute to the design of future P2P networks for operation in mobile ad-hoc networks.

Since mobile ad-hoc networks have certain constraints, including power shortages, an unstable wireless environment, and node mobility, more power-efficient and reliable routing protocols are needed. Accordingly, this paper propose a new routing protocol, PERRA (Power Efficient Reliable Routing protocol for mobile Ad-hoc networks), that includes the advantages of on-demand protocols, while also providing power- efficient and reliable packet transmission. PERRA uses a new cost function to select the optimum path based on considering the minimum residual energy of the nodes on a path, the total energy consumed by a path to transmit and process a packet, and the path's stability in accordance with the node mobility. As a result, the proposed method increases the power efficiency, decreases the route-reconstructions due to residual power shortages and node mobility, and provides effective route maintenance mechanisms. The performance of PERRA is evaluated by simulations under various conditions.

In this study, we present a way to choose route selection metric while discovering a new route in ad hoc mobile networks. We have used link expiration time and busy rate to calculate the route cost. The route cost is compared to a threshold value to decide whether the traffic of the route is high or low. If it is high then the system chooses busy rate as a route selection metric to avoid traffic congestion and if it is low the link expiration time is used to select the longlasting route. We have examined the characteristics of the routing protocol by computer simulation and found that it over performs the conventional protocols.

Wireless networks have been rapidly integrated with the wired Internet and considered as the most popular MAC technology for Ad Hoc mobile communications. In WLAN technologies, IEEE 802.11b WLAN is the most widespread wireless network today. The IEEE 802.11b WLAN supports multiple transmission rates and the rate is chosen in an adaptive manner by an auto rate control algorithm. This auto rate control algorithm deeply affects the total system performance of the IEEE 802.11b WLAN. In this paper, we examine the WLAN performance with regard to the auto rate control algorithm, especially the ARF scheme, which is the most popular auto rate control algorithm in 802.11b based WLAN products. The experimental results indicate that the ARF scheme works well in the face of signal noise due to node location. However, the ARF scheme severely degrades system performance when multiple nodes contend to obtain the wireless channel and the packet is lost due to signal collision.

In this paper we present a network layer based admission control and simple class based service differentiation model to support QoS in mobile ad hoc network. Our distributed admission control procedure works along with the route finding phase of reactive routing protocols for mobile ad hoc network (AODV, DSR etc). We also propose a simple class based distributed service differentiation system to support QoS once a traffic is admitted by our admission control mechanism. The proposed service differentiation is based on DiffServ model and includes modifications like configuration of each node with edge and core functionality, dynamic selection of edge/core functionality, use of minimal and simple classes. Simulation results show that our system allows seven times more real time traffic in the network than the proposed QoS for AODV model while satisfying the demanded end-to-end delay and providing low jitter.

Unlike traditional networks, the characteristics of mobile wireless devices that can dynamically form a network without any infrastructure and wired line mean that mobile ad hoc networks frequently display partition owing to node mobility or link failures. Consequently, an ad hoc network is difficult to provide on-line access to trusted authorities or centralized servers. Despite the existence of well-known security mechanisms, the absence of a stationary central authorization facility in an open and distributed communication environment is a major challenge. Consequently, applying traditional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) security architecture to mobile ad hoc networks will create secure blind sides. Based on this perspective, this study proposes a novel scalable and robust cluster-organized key management scheme. Distribution of trust to an aggregation of cluster heads using a threshold scheme faculty provides mobile ad hoc networks with robust key management. Furthermore, the proposed approach provides Certificate Authority (CA) with a fault tolerance mechanism to prevent a single point of compromise or failure, and saves CA large repositories from maintaining member certificates, making the proposed approach more suitable for numerous mobile devices. Additionally, this study proposes a Cluster Secure Based Routing Protocol (CSBRP) to integrate into the key management to enhance non-repudiation of routing information and routing performances. Finally, this study introduces a mathematical model to demonstrate that the proposed cluster-based communication outperforms the node-based approach.

Flooding is usually utilized to find a multi-hop route toward a node which is not within transmission range. However, existing flooding schemes deteriorate the performance of network because of periodic message exchanges, frequent occurrence of collisions, and redundant packet transmission. To resolve the problem, a lightweight and novel flooding scheme is proposed in this paper. The scheme employs ongoing packets for constructing a cluster architecture as the existing on-demand clustering scheme. Unlike to the existing schemes, it makes use of unicast packet transmission to reduce the number of collisions and to find the flooding candidates easily. As a result, the proposed scheme yields fewer flooding nodes than other schemes. Simulation results prove that it causes fewer packet transmissions and fewer collisions than those of two other schemes.

In contention-based wireless ad hoc networks, power control is an efficient way to improve the spatial reuse by allowing multiple pairs to communicate simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a game-theoretical approach for joint power and rate control in ad hoc networks, where the transmit rate of each link is maximized. Meanwhile we consider the transmit power as the cost, since higher power leads to higher interference and more energy consumption. In particular, we introduce a novel auction-like pricing algorithm in which the cost per unit power steps up until the network settles down at a Nash equilibrium, which is a feasible power and rate allocation, even when the Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) requirements are initially infeasible. Numerical results show significant throughput improvement and energy consumption savings compared with the previously proposed algorithm that defers the link with minimum SINR.

Ad hoc networks are becoming an interesting research area, as they inherently support unique network applications for the wireless communications in a rugged environment, which requires rapid deployment and is difficult to be provided by an infrastructure network. Many issues need to be addressed for the ad hoc networks. In this paper, we propose an efficient distributed coordination function on the media access control protocol to enhance the power conservation of mobile hosts by using a power control algorithm and the network throughput of an ad hoc network by using an algorithm for simultaneous frame transmissions. Extensive simulation is studied to evaluate the improvement of the proposed method. The results of the simulation exhibit significant improvement to the standard access control protocol. With slight improvement of network throughput, up to 85% of the consumed energy was able to be saved in compared to the standard protocol and up to 7 times of the energy efficiency was enhanced with the proposed method.

The issue of importance of multiuser detection for CDMA-based mobile ad hoc networks is addressed in this paper. For conventional scheme, each terminal in the network uses matched filter to receive packets, so the performance (e.g., throughput) of the network suffers from multi-access interference (MAI). Different from above scheme, in this paper, each terminal of the ad hoc network is equipped with an adaptive blind linear multiuser detector, so the ability of MAI-resistance is gained. Employing slotted-ALOHA protocol in MAC layer and using fully-connected network model, the throughput of ad hoc network is studied. Theoretic analysis and simulation results show that multiuser detection can remarkably improve throughput performance of ad hoc networks.

In this paper, we provide various perspectives related to wireless sensor and mobile ad hoc networking research. We reveal their commonalities and differences and suggest the need for participation from the computer science community, in addition to communications and protocols. In particular, we reveal the various issues that demand deeper investigation, collaborative research, and standardization. We introduced the aim, structure, objectives, and goals of the World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF) and highlight the activities conducted by the WWRF Working Group 3. Finally, we discuss the status of various standardization efforts and present new research issues and challenges.

How to safely or reliably flood a packet via broadcast scheme to all nodes in computer networks is an important issue. However, it is a big challenge and critical problem to broadcast data packets over mobile ad hoc networks reliably due to the unsettled wireless links, high mobility, and the lack of the acknowledgment (ACK) scheme. Many solutions deal with this problem by adopting multiple unicast transmissions to achieve reliable broadcast transmission in network layer. Unfortunately, it will cause severe duplicate transmissions and thus rapidly consume the limited network bandwidth. One simplest way to solve this drawback is to broadcast data packets in data link layer. But a serious problem will be arisen that replied ACK frames will collide at the sending node if we enforce each mobile node to reply an ACK after receiving the broadcast data frame. Therefore, in order to overcome the thorny problem, we proposed a broadcast engagement ACK mechanism (BEAM), which is completely compatible with the IEEE 802.11 protocol, for reliable broadcast transmission in the data link layer. We also show that the overhead of raising the reliability of broadcast transmission in network layer would be significantly reduced in data link layer. Simulation results show that the proposed BEAM can reach approximate 100% reliability even in heavy traffic load. We also indicate that the BEAM could be combined with other network layer broadcast schemes to approach higher flooding ratio as well as reduce bandwidth consumption effectively.