Does the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol work well in multihop wireless ad hoc networks?

TLDR

IEEE 802.11 MAC is the standard for WLANs and is widely used in testbeds and simulations, yet it was not designed for multihop connectivity in mobile ad hoc networks. This study asks whether IEEE 802.11 MAC can function effectively in multihop wireless ad hoc networks. The authors identify serious problems in IEEE 802.11-based multihop networks and conclude that the current protocol does not perform well, casting doubt on the viability of WaveLAN-based testbeds.

Abstract

The IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol is the standard for wireless LANs; it is widely used in testbeds and simulations for wireless multihop ad hoc networks. However, this protocol was not designed for multihop networks. Although it can support some ad hoc network architecture, it is not intended to support the wireless mobile ad hoc network, in which multihop connectivity is one of the most prominent features. In this article we focus on the following question: can the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol function well in multihop networks? By presenting several serious problems encountered in an IEEE 802.11-based multihop network and revealing the in-depth cause of these problems, we conclude that the current version of this wireless LAN protocol does not function well in multihop ad hoc networks. We thus doubt whether the WaveLAN-based system is workable as a mobile ad hoc testbed.