Does IEEE 802.11 MAC Protocol Work Well in Multi-hop Wireless Ad Hoc Networks?

IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol is the standard for wireless LANs, it is widely used in testbeds and simulations in the research for wireless multi-hop ad hoc networks. However, this protocol was not designed for multi-hop networks. Although it can support some ad hoc network architecture, it is not intended to support the wireless mobile ad hoc network, in which multi-hop connectivity is one of the most prominent features. In this paper, we focus on the following question: Can IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol function well in multi-hop networks? By presenting several serious problems encountered in an IEEE 802.11 based multi-hop network and revealing the in-depth cause of these problems, we conclude that the current version of this wireless LAN protocol does not function well in multihop ad hoc networks. We thus doubt whether the WaveLAN based system is workable as a mobile ad hoc testbed.