This paper evaluates the performance of three link-quality metrics—ETX, per-hop RTT, and per-hop packet-pair—against minimum hop count in static multi-hop wireless networks. The study uses a DSR-based routing protocol in a 25-node wireless testbed, focusing on various traffic scenarios such as long-lived TCP flows, multiple simultaneous data transfers, and simulated web traffic. The main findings are: 1. **ETX Metric**: performs best when nodes are stationary, outperforming hop-count despite using longer paths. 2. **Per-hop RTT and Per-hop Packet-Pair Metrics**: perform poorly due to self-interference, leading to instability and poor performance. 3. **Mobile Sender Scenario**: minimum hop-count routing outperforms link-quality routing because the metrics do not react quickly enough to changes in the sender's position. The paper also discusses the architecture of the Mesh Connectivity Layer (MCL) and the Link-Quality Source Routing (LQSR) protocol, which incorporates these metrics. The results highlight the importance of considering link quality in routing algorithms to improve network performance, especially in static ad hoc wireless networks.This paper evaluates the performance of three link-quality metrics—ETX, per-hop RTT, and per-hop packet-pair—against minimum hop count in static multi-hop wireless networks. The study uses a DSR-based routing protocol in a 25-node wireless testbed, focusing on various traffic scenarios such as long-lived TCP flows, multiple simultaneous data transfers, and simulated web traffic. The main findings are: 1. **ETX Metric**: performs best when nodes are stationary, outperforming hop-count despite using longer paths. 2. **Per-hop RTT and Per-hop Packet-Pair Metrics**: perform poorly due to self-interference, leading to instability and poor performance. 3. **Mobile Sender Scenario**: minimum hop-count routing outperforms link-quality routing because the metrics do not react quickly enough to changes in the sender's position. The paper also discusses the architecture of the Mesh Connectivity Layer (MCL) and the Link-Quality Source Routing (LQSR) protocol, which incorporates these metrics. The results highlight the importance of considering link quality in routing algorithms to improve network performance, especially in static ad hoc wireless networks.