Performance Analysis of Traffic Load and Node Density in Ad hoc Networks

In ad hoc mobile networks nodes typically communicate over wireless channels and are capable of movement. Wireless nodes also have the unique capability of transmission at different power levels. As the transmission power is varied, a tradeoff exists between the number of hops and the overall bandwidth available to individual nodes. Nodes in mobile ad hoc networks are typically battery operated. Because both the battery lifetime and the channel bandwidth are limited resources, it is important to determine the effect different transmission power levels have on the overall performance of the network. This paper explores the effect different traffic loads have on the network performance when the transmission power is varied. It is shown that in order to find an optimum node density, both the traffic load and the rate of mobility have to be taken into account. It is also shown that for sparser networks there exists a threshold after which the delivery ratio starts to decline. When the traffic load is below the point where network saturation occurs, denser networks achieve a higher delivery ratio, but at a higher cost.