Multihop performance of geographic random forwarding for ad hoc and sensor networks

We study a novel forwarding technique based on the geographical location of the nodes involved and random selection of the relaying node via contention among receivers. We focus on the multihop performance of such a solution, in terms of average number of hops to reach a destination as a function of the distance and of the average number of available neighbors. An idealized scheme (in which the best relay node is always chosen) is discussed, and its performance is evaluated by means of both simulation and analytical techniques. A practical scheme to select one of the best relays is shown to achieve performance very close to that of the ideal case.