UC Riverside

Ad hoc wireless networks can be quickly deployed to provide wireless communication services in areas without pre-established infrastructure of base stations. Since delivering signals between sources and destinations is a primary function of ad hoc networks, the design and analysis of ad hoc networks are also a task of signal processing. In this paper, we review some of the major results on maximum throughput of ad hoc networks. Both single-hop ad hoc networks and multi-hop ad hoc networks are considered. In particular, we show examples of how to maximize the throughput of a large ad hoc network through a closed-loop analysis of two medium access control (MAC) schemes: synchronous array method (SAM) and asynchronous array method (AAM). Both omni-directional antennas and directional antennas are examined. This study illustrates an importance of the interplays between signal processing, information theory and networking protocols.