An Overview of MANETs Simulation

Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs) are dynamic networks populated by mobile stations. Stations in MANETs are usually laptops, PDAs or mobile phones. These devices feature Bluetooth and/or IEEE 802.11 (WiFi) network interfaces and communicate in a decentralized manner. Mobility is a key feature of MANETs. Because of their high cost and their lack of flexibility of such networks, experimentation is mostly achievable through simulation. Numerous tools exist for MANETs simulation, including ns-2 and GloMoSim which are the two most popular ones. This paper provides a State of the Art of MANETs simulators and associated simulation techniques. First it gives an overview of the domain. Then it provides a map of the main characteristics that MANETs simulation tools should feature and the current support of these. Finally, a description for each simulator is provided, including an explanation of what make them appealing solutions.