On the effect of traffic models to the performance of ad hoc network

Ad hoc networks have been proposed as a topology for future tactical networks. The performance of ad hoc networks and especially ad hoc routing protocols has been studied widely. In most cases, the performance is studied with respect to mobility and network size. In this study, we will concentrate on the effect of traffic models under different traffic loads to the performance of ad hoc routed networks. In this paper we use AODV routing protocol over IEEE 802.11b MAC-layer. Research is carried out by simulations with Opnet 8.1 network simulator. Data traffic is usually bursty, which causes serious congestions. Throughput is collapsed due to large number of collisions. Another problem is increased transmission delays. These problems can be crucial especially in tactical networks. Our simulations show that the nature of multi-hop communication causes these problems to be multiplied in an ad hoc environment where significant loss of performance is observed.