Network Simulator: A Learning Tool for Wireless Technologies

Communication protocols are a crucial area in the telecommunication engineering curricula. Learning the basis of this field requires the study of multiple and heterogeneous concepts that, in most cases, are explained by the translation and summarization of the published specifications. By this method, pupils memorize certain theoretical issues without understanding the correlation among them. As computers are available in a wide variety of scenarios, the simulation tools can be of great help for a better understanding of this communication area. Among the multiple network simulators that are accessible nowadays, we consider the Network simulator or ns-2 as one of the best option for future engineers who might be asked to work with a simulation tool in their professional tasks. The aim of the utilization of ns2 in laboratories is to show the packets exchange between two hosts and how some factors (Propagation model, MAC interface, MAC configuration, communication protocol, etc) have a significant contribution on the performance of wireless networks. In order to facilitate the learning of the fundamental concepts associated to wireless technologies, the teacher should consider which exercises will be proposed. As illustrative examples, in this paper we describe some works developed by students of the University of Malaga in their Master Thesis.