Mobile Multi-Hop Ad Hoc Networks: From Theory to Reality

It is a great pleasure to introduce this special issue. Multi-hop ad hoc networks are collections of (mobile) nodes connected together over a wireless medium. These nodes can freely and dynamically self-organize into arbitrary and temporary , " ad hoc " network topologies. A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is probably the most well-known example of this networking paradigm having been around for over twenty years, mainly exploited to design tactical networks. Recently, emerging wireless networking technologies for consumer electronics (e.g., Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11) are pushing MANET outside the military domain and also contributed to the MANET evolution towards mesh and op-portunistic networks. Furthermore, the multi-hop ad hoc networking paradigm is often used for building sensor networks to study, control, and monitor events and phenomena. Multi-hop ad hoc networking technologies have big potentialities for innovative applications of great impact on our everyday life. To exploit these potentialities, simulation modeling and theoretical analyses have to be complemented by real experiences (e.g., experiences/measurements on real prototypes), which provide both a direct evaluation of ad hoc networks and, at the same time, precious information for a realistic modeling of these systems. The availability of prototypes will also make possible to start creating communities of users that, by experimenting with ad hoc networking technologies , will provide feedbacks on its usefulness and stimulate the development of applications tailored for the ad hoc environment. The aim of this special issue is to present a collection of papers that contribute to move mobile ad hoc networking from theory to reality by presenting application scenarios for these networks and/or results from real ad hoc networks test-beds and prototypes. In response to an open call for papers, we received thirty-six submissions out of which, after an in-depth review process, we finally selected the eleven papers presented in this issue. The first three papers in this special issue present a set of results on design, implementation, and experimental evaluation of mobile ad hoc networks achieved in the framework of the MobileMAN project funded by the European Commission under the FET-IST Programme. The MobileMAN project combined theoretical studies with experiences gained by implementing real ad hoc networks, and therefore it represents a relevant step in moving MANETs from theory to reality. The three MobileMAN papers presented in this issue address three different aspects of a MANET protocol stack: medium access control (MAC) protocol, routing protocols, and application-layer multicasting. Specifically, …