Cross-layer design gains in MANETs

In this paper we propose and implement cross-layer network design models with three different MAC protocols: CSMA-CA, CSMA-CA with RTS/CTS, and ALOHA. These network models are used to study the behavior of Cross-Layer Designs (CLDs) in case of dynamic network topologies with different transmission ranges and network sizes. A similar network model but with a conventional Oblivious Layered Design (OLD) is also implemented to compare the performance of the cross-layer models and to show the impact and potential benefit of cross-layering. Our results show that the CLD gain is comparable to the gain that results from selecting a better MAC protocol. The results also show that CLD, unlike OLD, fully utilizes the link capacities and its gain is proportional to the average number of the session hops.