Simulcasting and Adaptive Beamforming in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are a critical link in military tactical communications. The same feature that makes ad hoc networks so useful for military communications, i.e., the lack of a centralized controller, also limits how efficiently the networks use the channel resources. In addition, for many military applications, the network devices are battery powered and need to use energy very efficiently. Thus, new approaches are needed that can provide significant gains in throughput and energy efficiency. In this SBIR effort, we will demonstrate how two communication technologies can work together to provide improved performance in ad hoc networks. The two technologies are digital simulcasting and adaptive beamforming. These technologies have been developed in recent years but have not been combined or deployed in MANETs. In Phase I, we will design MAC- and network- layer protocols that enable exploiting the combination of simulcasting and beamforming and use simulation to predict end-to-end performance and power consumption. In Phase II, we will construct a prototype network for demonstration and validation of the design, using software radio technology to reduce development time and maximize experimental effectiveness.