Developing and evaluating protocols and applications for mobile ad-hoc networks requires significant organisational effort when real mobile ad-hoc networks with several mobile terminals are considered. For fine tuning and optimizing ad-hoc protocols, network simulators like the OpNet Modeller, NS2, or GloMoSim are most suitable. However, for the comprehension of the mode of operations of ad-hoc network mechanisms and their effects on the communication flow of applications a real-time experiment environment is more preferable. In this paper, an emulation environment for mobile ad-hoc networks is presented, which operates within existing local area networks utilizing virtual overlay structures reflecting the characteristics of mobile ad-hoc networks. Routing protocols and applications are able to communicate in real-time over emulated mobile infrastuctures using the unmodified IP protocol stack. The emulator provides an extensible interface for specifying mobility patterns in order...