<p><img src=\"images/ad-hoc-overview1.jpg\" alt=\"\" /></p>
<p>Recent  advances in portable computing and wireless technologies are opening up  exciting possibilities for the future of wireless mobile networking. A  mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is an autonomous system of mobile hosts  connected by wireless links. Mobile networks can be classified into  infrastructure networks and mobile ad hoc networks according to their  dependence on fixed infrastructures. In an infrastructure mobile  network, mobile nodes have wired access points (or base stations) within  their transmission range.<br /> The access points compose the backbone for an infrastructure network.  In contrast, mobile ad hoc networks are autonomously self-organized  networks without infrastructure support. In a mobile ad hoc network,  nodes move arbitrarily, therefore the network may experiences rapid and  unpredictable topology changes. Additionally, because nodes in a mobile  ad hoc network normally have limited transmission ranges, some nodes  cannot communicate directly with each other. Hence, routing paths in  mobile ad hoc networks potentially contain multiple hops, and every node  in mobile ad hoc networks has the responsibility to act as a router.Mobile  ad hoc networks originated from the DARPA Packet Radio Network (PRNet)  and SURAN project. Being independent on pre-established infrastructure,  mobile ad hoc networks have advantages such as rapid and ease of  deployment, improved flexibility and reduced costs.</p>