Multiple directional antennas in suburban ad-hoc networks

A suburban ad-hoc network (SAHN) interconnects a cooperative group at broadband speed using wireless links. The nodes are stationary. A SAHN involves low installation and service costs for SAHN specific traffic. Some current routing solutions for mobile ad-hoc networks may be used in the SAHN after certain optimizations. Efficiency can be improved by using smart directional antennas. Neighboring nodes falling outside the transmission region of a directional antenna are less vulnerable to co-channel interference. Additionally, increased transmission range can be achieved by reducing noise, interference and multipath fading. We emphasize the interference reduction capability of directional antennas and investigate the routing performances using three antenna schemes; multiple fixed directional, multiple omnidirectional and single omnidirectional antennas. We present an estimate of the achievable performance in a SAHN through extensive simulations. We also discuss the impact of using omnidirectional antennas on routing performance where different networks, using overlapping frequency channels, exist within each other´s transmission ranges.