Wireless channel-aware ad hoc cross-layer protocol with multiroute path selection diversity

Routing protocols for ad hoc networks have generally ignored channel fading. We propose a new routing metric, the route outage probability (ROP), which attempts to minimize packet loss due to fading. We apply ROP to a conventional single route protocol and to a protocol that uses multiple routes to minimize packet loss. More interesting, we apply ROP to a recently proposed multiroute path selection diversity (MRPS) scheme that chooses next-hop links based on current channel conditions. We propose new media access control (MAC) and network layer protocols that support ROP and our three routing schemes. We compare the three schemes analytically based on total outage probability, showing that the MRPS scheme scales to larger networks than the other schemes. We present the numerical results of the schemes over a Rayleigh fading channel. The numerical results show that the MRPS scheme outperforms the other schemes for most parameters and that it scales with network size.