Impact of clustering on the BER performance in ad hoc wireless networks

Ad hoc wireless networks are characterized by multihop radio communication. The spatial distribution of the nodes is seldom perfectly regular. In a realistic ad hoc wireless network communication scenario, the nodes are likely to be clustered, i.e., the nodes are likely to configure themselves in subgroups such that the nodes inside each subgroup are relatively close to each other with respect to the distance between different subgroups. In this paper, we consider a very simple clustering scenario, defined as uniformly clustered, in order to derive a parameterized analytical description. The proposed clustering model, although simple and idealistic, allows one to gain insights valid also in a more general case with nonregular clustering. In particular, the obtained results highlight the fact that a single long hop can significantly degrade the network communication performance. The benefits of topology-dependent power control are discussed and evaluated.