On the minimum number of neighbours for good routing performance in MANETs

In a mobile ad hoc network, where nodes are deployed without any wired infrastructure and communicate via multihop wireless links, the network topology is based on the nodes´ locations and transmission ranges. The nodes communicate through wireless links, with each node acting as a relay when necessary to allow multihop communications. The network topology can have a major impact on network performance. We consider the impact of number and placement of neighbours on mobile network performance. Specifically, we consider how neighbour node placement affects the network overhead and routing delay. We develop an analytical model, verified by simulations, which shows widely varying performance depending on source node speed and, to a lesser extent, number of neighbour nodes.