@TechReport{Dartmouth:TR2003-467,
  author = {David Kotz and Calvin Newport and Chip Elliott},
  title = {{The mistaken axioms of wireless-network research}},
  institution = {Dartmouth College, Computer Science},
  address = {Hanover, NH},
  number = {TR2003-467},
  year = {2003},
  month = {July},
  URL = {http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/reports/TR2003-467.ps.Z},
  comment = {
    For more information related to this project see
    http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~campus/.
  },
  abstract = {
    Most research on ad-hoc wireless networks makes simplifying
    assumptions about radio propagation.  The ``Flat Earth'' model of the
    world is surprisingly popular: all radios have circular range, have
    perfect coverage in that range, and travel on a two-dimensional plane.
    CMU's ns-2 radio models are better but still fail to represent
    many aspects of realistic radio networks, including hills, obstacles,
    link asymmetries, and unpredictable fading.  We briefly argue that key
    ``axioms'' of these types of propagation models lead to simulation
    results that do not adequately reflect real behavior of ad-hoc
    networks, and hence to network protocols that may not work well (or at
    all) in reality.  We then present a set of 802.11 measurements that
    clearly demonstrate that these ``axioms'' are contrary to fact.  The
    broad chasm between simulation and reality calls into question many of
    results from prior papers, and we summarize with a series of
    recommendations for researchers considering analytic or simulation
    models of wireless networks.
  }
}