This paper evaluates three link-quality metrics—ETX, per-hop RTT, and per-hop packet-pair—against minimum hop count for routing in static multi-hop wireless networks. The study uses a DSR-based routing protocol in a 23-node wireless testbed. The results show that ETX performs best when all nodes are stationary, outperforming hop count despite using longer paths. However, in scenarios with a mobile sender, hop count outperforms link-quality metrics due to their slow reaction to changes. Per-hop RTT and packet-pair metrics suffer from self-interference due to load sensitivity, leading to poor performance. The paper also highlights that ETX is more effective in longer paths, while hop count is better for one-hop paths. The study concludes that ETX provides better throughput for long-lived TCP flows, while hop count is more stable for one-hop paths. The results emphasize the importance of considering link quality in routing decisions for wireless networks.This paper evaluates three link-quality metrics—ETX, per-hop RTT, and per-hop packet-pair—against minimum hop count for routing in static multi-hop wireless networks. The study uses a DSR-based routing protocol in a 23-node wireless testbed. The results show that ETX performs best when all nodes are stationary, outperforming hop count despite using longer paths. However, in scenarios with a mobile sender, hop count outperforms link-quality metrics due to their slow reaction to changes. Per-hop RTT and packet-pair metrics suffer from self-interference due to load sensitivity, leading to poor performance. The paper also highlights that ETX is more effective in longer paths, while hop count is better for one-hop paths. The study concludes that ETX provides better throughput for long-lived TCP flows, while hop count is more stable for one-hop paths. The results emphasize the importance of considering link quality in routing decisions for wireless networks.