A study of research trends and issues in wireless ad hoc networks

Ad hoc networks enable network creation on the fly without support of any predefined infrastructure. The spontaneous erection of networks in anytime and anywhere fashion enables development of various novel applications based on ad hoc networks. However, ad hoc networks present several new challenges. Different research proposals have came forward to resolve these challenges. This chapter provides a survey of current issues, solutions, and research trends in wireless ad hoc networks. Even though various surveys are already available on the topic, rapid developments in recent years call for an updated account. The chapter has been organized as follows. In the first part of the chapter, various ad hoc network issues arising at different layers of TCP/IP protocol stack are presented. An overview of research proposals to address each of these issues is also provided. The second part of the chapter investigates various emerging models of ad hoc networks, discusses their distinctive properties, and highlights various research issues arising due to these properties. The authors specifically provide discussion on ad hoc grids, ad hoc clouds, wireless mesh networks, and cognitive radio ad hoc networks. The chapter ends with a presenting summary of the current research on ad hoc networks, ignored research areas and directions for further research. Noman Islam Technology Promotion International, Pakistan Zubair A. Shaikh National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Pakistan DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-5170-8.ch008