Improving QoS in a Multi-Hop Wireless Environment

This paper focuses on the provision of QoS in a Multi-hop Wireless Network (MHWN) environment. The approach proposed here is based on the introduction of the Wireless Adaptation Layer (WAL), an intermediate layer between the IP layer and the DLC/PHY layers at each communication node within the MHWN. The scope of the WAL is to cope with the wireless channel impairments and provide improved QoS support to the lower layers while, at the same time, be independent and transparent to both higher and lower layers. In this way, the WAL provides a uniform QoS mechanism over a diverse environment such a MWHN.