Result: On the Complexity of an Accurate and Precise Performance Evaluation of Wireless Networks Using Simulations

In wireless multi-hop networks, there is a growing need for the performance evaluation of protocols and distributed applications. Due to the high complexity of analytical models and the difficulty of setting up large scale testbeds, simulations are generally considered as the most convenient methodology for evaluating the performance of wireless systems. However, evaluating a protocol can be a tedious task as it depends on several factors including the physical layer modeling and the dimensioning of protocol or environment parameters. As a consequence inferring an overall performance for a protocol is a real issue. In this paper, we highlight some main factors that may affect the accuracy of the performance evaluation of protocols using simulations. First, we focus on the physical layer (PHY) modeling which represent a key point for the sake of realism and confidence. Second, we discuss the impact of some protocol parameters on the behavior of the evaluated protocols.