Delay time performance of multihop networks utilizing finite-length buffers

The impact of the buffer size of a terminal on network performance is presented. Most multihop radio network models investigated so far have assumed an infinite buffer in a terminal instead of finite capacity, which increases the probability of encountering full buffers in a practical system. The inability to receive a packet when buffers are full has an obvious impact on network performance. With the slotted ALOHA protocol used as an example, throughput and packet delay time are analyzed with buffer size as a parameter. The probability of a terminal having either a full or an empty buffer is analyzed by using a Markov chain model for the buffer states. Throughput and packet delay time versus transmission range (power) are then evaluated by using these probabilities