Research on Designing and Implementing an Experimental MANET Testbed

A very large number of simulation models have been developed to study ad hoc network architectures and protocols. Evaluating and deploying all sorts of protocols and applications designed for wireless ad hoc networks in a real environment is an important and urgent task. In recognition of this need, and to further our research objectives in the area of wireless ad hoc networks, we have built the E²WMANT testbed, which enables us to gain real-world experience with research concepts as we develop them and use results from outdoor field tests to further enhance the testbed. This paper describes our experience in designing and implementing the E²WMANT prototype system. We believe that they may be useful to others who want to build ad hoc network testbeds.