Tutorial 4: Mobile Ad Hoc Networking: Medium Access Control and Routing Protocols

A mobile ad hoc network is a collection of mobile wireless nodes that can dynamically form a network without necessarily using any pre-existing network infrastructure. In general, routes between nodes in an ad hoc network may include multiple hops. Due to the potential ease of deployment, many practical applications have been conceived for ad hoc networks, including personal area networking, home networking, search-and-rescue operations, and battlefield applications. When designing mobile ad hoc networks, several interesting and difficult problems arise due to shared nature of the wireless medium, limited transmission range of wireless devices, node mobility, and battery limitations. This tutorial will present an overview of issues related to medium access control (MAC) and routing in mobile ad hoc networks. Several techniques proposed to improve performance of MAC and routing protocols will be discussed. The tutorial will include a discussion of approaches for reducing energy consumption by nodes in a mobile ad hoc network.