Mobile ad hoc networks - A project summary

One important component in future military communications is a high performance radio network that is independent of fixed communications infrastructures. Such a network, which we call a tactical ad hoc network, must be self-forming, self-healing and be able to support different types of services even in a high mobility scenario. Upholding the service requirements is usually denoted as Quality-of-Service (QoS) guarantees. A combination of QoS and high mobility requires careful design of the network protocols. This is one of the most challenging problems today in ad hoc network research. The QoS issue involves all protocol layers. In wireless communication, where the bandwidth is scarce, some sort of QoS control and adaptation to the situation will be needed. This report summarizes the two year long Mobile Ad Hoc Network project. The project has focused on QoS issues and on the protocol layers Medium Access Control (MAC), Routing and TCP/IP.