Cross layer routing and medium access control with channel dependant forwarding in wireless Ad-hoc networks

Wireless ad hoc networks have the last 10 years gained a lot of attention within the research community. A wireless ad hoc network is a special type of wireless network where nodes are typically mobile and doesn't rely on any fixed infrastructure to operate correctly. Much work has been done on developing robust and stable routing algorithms that consider the dynamic nature of an ad hoc network: nodes are very mobile and enter and leave the network in random ways. Much work has also been done on developing medium access control (MAC) algorithms that consider many wireless characteristics such as interference and the hidden terminal problems. Little work has so far been done on developing joint routing and MAC layer solutions that consider the variations of the wireless channel. We present a solution where the routing protocol can cooperate with the MAC layer to provide power control and channel dependent forwarding. By establishing non-disjoint multiple paths between each source and destination, nodes may be able to avoid links that are currently in a deep signal fade by choosing a more beneficial next hop path.