Application of cellular automata to modeling mobility and radio communication in wireless networks

In this preliminary study, we first show how a simple cellular automata (CA) model can be tailored to the context of radio communication. We then use the model to examine the tradeoff between mobility and radio communication. Within this context, one can view the presence of link (i,j) as an advantage in that it enables node i to send a packet on one hop to node j. However, it can also be a disadvantage in that, when node i broadcasts it causes interference at j. Thus, while the presence of a large number of links guarantees network connectivity, it brings with it the possibility of increased interference, which reduces the capacity of the network. Our analysis examines how in certain cases, mobility may add to the efficiency of practical networks, whereas in other situations, mobility may become a liability