Characterization of the Scalability of Wireless Ad Hoc Networks under Channel Limitations

Determining the capacity of ad hoc networks is a challenging performance analysis issue. In this paper we employ a statistical method based on signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) probability density function to explore the capacity problem. The channel parameters as path loss, shadowing, fading, etc. are considered in this technique. By implementing this method, we derive the exact value for the capacity of ad hoc networks for two network growth scenarios according to the physical resources allocated to the network. We show that independent from the network growth scenario, per node end to end capacity decreases with the increase in the mean number of active nodes. We also study the effect of variations in wireless channel parameters on the network capacity