Capacity Consideration under Cooperation and Relay in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Non-ergodicity limits the utilization of Shannon capacity in mobile Ad hoc networks (MANET). Three definitions of function capacity, outage capacity and expected capacity in network information theory are narrated. Multiple-input and multiple-output, relay and conferencing are usually adopted for cooperation in MANET to tackle the problems of dynamic channel state information and non-equilibrium. The capacity, which is the fundamental performance upper bound, together with layerless dynamic network design and combined optimization are three key issues when considering usability and utility in MANET. These three research areas comprise an interdisciplinary approach beyond traditional Shannon theory that could hold much promise for breakthroughs in establishing the fundamental performance limits of wireless ad hoc networks and the applications that utilize them.