Experimenting a Layer 2-based Approach to Internet Connectivity for Ad Hoc Networks

A prerequisite for the mass-market deployment of multihop ad hoc technologies is the capability of integrating with existing wired infrastructure networks. However, current solutions to support connectivity between ad hoc networks and the Internet are based on complex mechanisms, such as Mobile-IP and IP tunnelling. In this paper we propose a lightweight solution based on simple Layer-2 mechanisms. Experiments carried out in a real test-bed confirm the validity and efficiency of our approach