IEEE International Workshop on Heterogeneous, Multi-Hop, Wireless and Mobile Networks (HeterWMN) 2011

The traditional centralized wireless and mobile networks are based on single-hop architecture and rely on the existing fixed infrastructure such as base stations or access points. The proliferation and deployment of radio access networks such as Wireless WANs, Wireless LANs, and Wireless PANs with distinguishing characteristics of data rate, coverage range, power, mobility, and prices will clearly lead to a need for seamless and ubiquitous access across these various networks. Such an integrated heterogeneous environment enables a user to access a particular network depending upon the application needs and the types of radio access networks (RANs) available (e.g., cellular network, ad hoc, WLAN, WPAN etc). The heterogeneous multi-hop wireless and mobile networks, on the other hand, provide unlimited mobility and greater flexibility but introduce a number of challenges due to dynamic network topology. The design of efficient and scalable protocols for existing multi-hop wireless and mobile networks such as wireless and mobile ad hoc networks continue to pose challenges at all the layers of networking stack.