Also of interest is the adaptability to different radio communication environments. What mechanisms are adopted to support radio communication at different radio frequency, i.e. do nodes use estimated knowledge of fading, or shadowing of multi-user interference on links in their routing decisions? Power reservations are also important. Does the network employ routing mechanisms that consider the remaining battery life of a node?

Is it single or multi-channel? Does the routing algorithm utilize a separate control channel? In some applications, multi-channel execution may make the network vulnerable to countermeasures. Is it unicast or multicast? Does the routing algorithm perform efficiently on unidirectional links, e.g. if bi-directional links become unidirectional?

Another qualitative feature is network security, such as whether or not the routing and MAC layer policies support the survivability of the network in terms of low probability of detection, or low probability of intercept and security. Also important is the quality of services and the handling of priority messages. Or how efficient the algorithm is in terms of the quality of the services of the network? In other words, does it support priority messaging and reduction of latency for delay-sensitive real-time traffic? Can the network send priority messages/voice even when it's overloaded with routine traffic levels?

And finally, supporting real-time voice and video services. How efficient is the network in terms of supporting real-time communication, i.e. can the network support simultaneous real-time multicast voice or video while supporting traffic loads associated with situation awareness and other routine services?

Conclusion
In conclusion, quantitative and qualitative features of mobile ad-hoc networks are helpful in drawing a clear guideline for both the users and researchers in this area about the performance of each separate bit of any ad-hoc networks. These features can best be used for the further development, or possibly in the development of new strategies, for different network controls in an ad-hoc network.

Dr. Humayun Bakht completed his Ph.D at the School of Computing and Mathematics in Liverpool at John Moores University. Prior to his current course of studies, he has successfully completed his MSc Software Engineering and BSc Electronics Engineering from University of Liverpool UK and Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi, Pakistan. Humayun's research interest is mobile ad-hoc networks, in particular, the development of a new routing algorithm for this type of networking. He can be reached at humayunbakht@yahoo.co.uk and you can visit his Web site at http://www.geocities.com/humayunbakht/.