Maximum throughput analysis in ad hoc networks

The IEEE 802.11 standard for ad hoc networks uses a distributed access mechanism in the shared medium that attempts to avoid collisions by performing carrier sensing, inter-frame spaces, and a backoff mechanism. This paper aims at deriving an analytical expression for the maximum throughput of a communication between two nodes. The communication is achieved in a multi-hop scenario and the path from the source to the destination consists of a chain of nodes. We analyze the multi-path communication and show that the maximum throughput can be increased with the simultaneous use of two paths: the shortest path and an appropriate alternative path that takes into account the interference problem. We also derive the constraints for this alternative path. The use of multiple alternative paths can be considered in order to achieve a load and energy balancing.