Protocol Evaluation in Multihop Wireless Networks with Controllable Node Sparsity or Density (Extended Abstract)

Simulation is the most widely used tool for evaluating network protocols in multihop wireless networks, yet this has so far been limited due to a lack of models for creating a wide range of scenarios of mobile nodes moving about. For example, for evaluating multihop routing protocols, the frequently used Random Waypoint model can only effectively be used in scenarios with relatively high node density, as sparser configurations (e.g., The same nodes in a larger area) result in frequently or always partitioned networks, with no possible multihop path between many different pairs of nodes. In this extended abstract, we summarize the design and evaluation of the Random Controlled Sparse (RCS) mobility model, a new dynamic mobility model that can be controlled for a wide range of scenarios with varying levels of node sparsity or density while avoiding network partitions. Our goal is to be able to create mobile scenarios that expose previously unexplored areas of wireless protocol performance, particularly for multihop routing protocols. We evaluate the performance of the model in generating scenarios and demonstrate the sometimes surprising performance results that different degrees of node density have on example multihop wireless routing protocols.