Ad hoc wireless networks: Flooding and statistical understanding of node movement

Mobile ad hoc wireless networks is a research field whose study has been oversimplified due to the lack of realistic simulation models. Since large-scale deployment of citywide ad hoc networks is being planned in major cities, more accurate research is needed in order to evaluate in advance their real performance and eventual pros and cons. This thesis is based on a recently proposed simulation tool that models signal propagation and node movement. In the first part of the document, flooding---the most simplistic form of broadcasting---is considered from a physical layer perspective. The Signal-to-Interference ratio and the capture effect are introduced in this study. How the quality of the receivers affects the broadcasting process is analyzed as well. The second part of this document is devoted to a statistical understanding of node mobility. Several possible cases of node movement and how neighborhoods change over time for different scenarios are considered throughout this work. Node mobility is deeply examined in order to establish the basis that will be used in future work for the development of an efficient broadcasting algorithm whose decision will be locally made based on a better understanding of the neighborhood dynamics. This approach will alleviate problems like network congestion and transmission collisions that are well-known to happen during broadcasting.