Link and Network Capacity Gains in Ad Hoc Networks Utilizing MIMO-Techniques

Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna systems is a promising technique for achieving substantially increased capacities and robustness in future tactical wireless networks. The purpose of this work has been to investigate the theoretical link and network capacity gains that can be achieved by employing MIMO-techniques in wireless ad hoc networks. We study these gains from a theoretical viewpoint and derive a closed-form expression of the network capacity for a reservation based MAC protocol that utilizes traffic adaptation. The link and network capacities are thereafter examined in urban environments, using two different MIMO channel models. Furthermore, the effect of utilizing MIMO-systems on the mean route lengths and the number of used links are investigated.