In this paper, we present the first stochastic analysis of the link performance of an ad hoc network modelled by a single homogeneous Poisson point process (HPPP). According to the maximum entropy principle, the single HPPP model is mathematically the best model for random deployments with a given node density. However, previous works in the literature only consider a modified model which shows a discrepancy in the interference distribution with the more suitable single HPPP model. The main contributions of this paper are as follows. 1) It presents a new mathematical framework leading to closed form expressions of the probability of success of both one-way transmissions and handshakes for a deployment modelled by a single HPPP. Our approach, based on stochastic geometry, can be extended to complex protocols. 2) From the obtained results, all confirmed by comparison to simulated data, optimal PHY and MAC layer parameters are determined and the relations between them is described in details. 3) The influence of the routing protocol on handshake performance is taken into account in a realistic manner, leading to the confirmation of the intuitive result that the effect of imperfect feedback on the probability of success of a handshake is only negligible for transmissions to the first neighbour node.