A simulation framework for ad-hoc wireless networks

Protocols, currently used for ad-hoc wireless networks, are designed and tested for networks, which are different in characteristics than ad-hoc networks. Hence, the challenge is to improve current protocols or design new protocols to meet the demands for such new type of networks. Although the research challenge covers all layers of ad-hoc network stack, the current research focus is on network and data link layer mainly to obtain optimum routing algorithm and overcome the problem of applying IEEE802.11 to multihop, ad-hoc, networks. There are two common approaches to analyze the proposed solutions; analytical approach and simulation approach which is most commonly used. In this paper, a simulation framework is developed as a tool for the analysis of new protocols and algorithms. This framework is designed to be, reusable in the sense that it can be integrated with new protocols/current protocols for evaluation purposes. The results from the framework include the network throughput and the packet delay for end-to-end links. The output is given as runtime visual presentation, which may give some hints about the problem type. Moreover, the output presentation may be customized according to user objectives.