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In a heterogeneous ad hoc network, assorted devices
with different computation and communication
capabilities co-exist and the links are asymmetric.
Most MAC layer and routing protocols for ad hoc
networks routinely assume that all links are
symmetric and are unable to exploit the asymmetric
links present in a network, thus leading to an
inefficient bandwidth utilization, or, in the worst
case, to lack of connectivity. To exploit the
asymmetric links, the protocols must deal with the
asymmetry of the path from a source node to a
destination node which affects either the delivery of
the original packets, or the paths taken by
acknowledgments, or both. Furthermore, the hidden
node problem requires a more careful analysis in the
case of asymmetric links.
We conclude that MAC layer and routing protocols
capable of using asymmetric links are more complex
than traditional ones, but can improve the
connectivity, and provide better performance. We are
confident that approximate results for various
performance metrics of wireless networks obtained
using time-parallel simulation are sufficiently
accurate and able to provide the necessary insight
into the inner workings of the protocols.
About the author
Guoqiang Wang received the B.S. degree from Southeast University,
Nanjing, in 2001 and the Ph.D degree from University of Central
Florida, Orlando, China, in 2007. His research areas include ad
hoc routing protocols, grid computing, and distributed and
parallel simulation.
