A Framework for Quality of Service in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

This paper presents a framework for specifying a probabilistic Quality of Service (QoS) guarantee in a mobile ad hoc network. The framework uses the mobility profiles of nodes in the network to establish probabilistic QoS. The network can deliver for a specified period of time. A mobility model was used to characterize the probabilities of path availability between two communicating nodes and QoS deliverable on the path. Mathematical models were developed for the probability of link and path availability, and bandwidth using continuous time stochastic mechanism. The proposed model was simulated using MATLAB version 5.2. The results of the research work show that the bandwidth guaranteed over a path diminishes with time, number of hops, and cell radius for a given mobility profile. Hence, a QoS-based routing algorithm can select more stable paths based on these metrics. This work provides a powerful paradigm for conception and dimensioning of the QoS deliverable by a MANET.