Enhancement of IEEE 802.11 modules in ns-2 and performance evaluation with error rate

Abstract

Ns-2 is being widely utilized to evaluate the wired and wireless networks on many research activities. The ns-2.33 distribution version includes an extension of IEEE 802.11 module which improves the core functions of 802.11 MAC and PHY protocols. Although this extension version provides well-designed MAC and PHY functions, it has some significant shortcomings in handling packet errors. When a packet error rate, one of the most important performance parameters in wireless network simulations, applies to the extension, a simulation program is interrupted with some fatal errors. Besides, as the packet errors are handled on the PHY layer in this version, MAC layer loses its own right of treating the packet errors. In this paper, we modify the extension version to correct the mentioned problems and verify the behavior of our modified version by simulation work. And also, we perform the ns-2 simulation to investigate the impact of error rate on IEEE 802.11p-based vehicular ad-hoc networks.