The performance of 802.11DCF-based ad hoc networks deeply relies on the complex interaction between medium access mechanism and routing scheme.In this paper

we model the interaction and present the method for computing upper and lower bounds of the optimal end-to-end throughput for a given path in the ad hoc networks.Different from the previous researches

we work with a more realistic scenario:the packet is scheduled arbitrarily and the carrier sense range of a node is longer than its transmission range.Furthermore

we analyze other affecting factors in depth

such as multiple routing and packet-drop.Some different and interesting conclusions are drawn from our path-oriented analysis.We believe that the conclusions can be helpful guidelines for upper level applications and routing design.