Wireless Ad hoc Networks Features
A wireless ad hoc network or mobile ad hoc network is a decentralized type of wireless network.
The network is ad hoc because it does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or access points in managed wireless networks.
The devices in the Ad-hoc network can access each other's resources directly through a basic point-to-point wireless connection.
Due to this, central servers are unnecessary for functions such as file shares or printers.
In a wireless Ad-hoc network, a collection of devices (or nodes) is responsible for network operations, such as routing, security, addressing and key management.
Devices in the Ad-hoc network require a wireless network adapter, and they need to support a hosted network.
When setting up a wireless Ad-hoc network, each wireless adapter must be configured for Ad-hoc mode instead of infrastructure mode.
All wireless adapters need to use the Same Service Set Identifier (SSID) and channel number.
Ad hoc networks adhere to dynamic topologies.
Network topology which is typically multi-hops, may change randomly and rapidly with time, it can form unidirectional or bi-directional links.
Expensive equipments are not necessary to set up an on-the-fly ad hoc network.
Ad hoc networks suffer from bandwidth constrained and variable capacity links.
Wireless links usually have lower reliability, efficiency, stability and capacity as compared to wired network.
Each node in ad hoc network has autonomous behavior.
Each node can act as a host and router, which shows its autonomous behavior.
All nodes have identical features with similar responsibilities and capabilities and hence it forms a completely symmetric environment.
Nodal connectivity is intermittent that is not steady or it is irregular.
The terminals in the network are light-weight terminals.
In maximum cases, the nodes in ad hoc network are mobile with less CPU capability, low power storage and small memory size.
Shared Physical Medium - The wireless communication medium is accessible to any entity with the appropriate equipment and adequate resources.
Accordingly, access to the channel cannot be restricted.
In Ad hoc network the energy constrained operations can be critical in terms of certain resource utilization.
Ad hoc networks offer limited security.
Wireless network are more prone to security threats.
A centralized firewall is absent due to its distributed nature of operation for security, routing and host configuration.
Less human intervention is required in Ad hoc network.
They require minimum human intervention to configure the network, therefore they are dynamically autonomous in nature.
Ad hoc network has mobile and spontaneous behaviour which demands minimum human intervention to configure the network.
As some or all the nodes rely on batteries or other exhaustible means for their energy.
Mobile nodes are characterized with less memory power and light weight features.
In Ad hoc network multi hop routing is required as per situation.
When a node tries to send information to other nodes which is out of its communication range, the packet should be forwarded via one or more intermediate nodes.
There is no single point of failure in an Ad hoc network.
High user density and large level of user mobility.
In ad hoc networks no central management hub is required from where all devices can be controlled.
In Ad hoc network operations are performed in distributed manner.
Distributed nature of operation for security, routing and host configuration.
A centralized firewall is absent here.