An experimental study of small world network model for wireless networks

The concept of small world phenomenon has been observed and applied in many types of networks. This paper evaluates two small-world network models in clustering formation and routing in wireless network. We present simulation of two small world network models, Watts and Stragtz's (WS) and the Newman and Watts (NW) models and evaluate average node degree and path length. We create a test wireless network using standard routing protocols in OPNET to validate the small world phenomenon, evaluate its performance and present research challenges of applying these models for wireless networks. This study provides insights on how wireless networks behave under small world network models with distributed routing protocols.