Ad Hoc Networks Routing Protocols and Mobility

Djamel Djenouri¹, Abdelouahid Derhab¹, and Nadjib Badache²

¹Basic Software Laboratory, CERIST Research Center, Algeria

²Computer Science Department, USTHB University, Algeria

Abstract: An ad hoc network is a temporary infrastructureless network, formed dynamically by mobile devices without turning to any existing centralized administration. To send packets to remote nodes, a node uses other intermediate nodes as relays, and ask them to forward its packets. For this purpose, a distributed routing protocol is required. Because the devices used are mobile, the network topology is unpredictable, and it may change at any time. These topology changes along with other intrinsic features related to mobile devices, such as the energy resource limitation, make ad hoc networks challenging to implement efficient routing protocols. In this paper, we drive a GloMoSim based simulation study, to investigate the mobility effects on the performance of several mobile ad hoc routing protocols.

Keywords: Ad hoc mobile networks, wireless networks, routing protocols, simulation, GloMoSim. 

Received October 20, 2004; accepted March 12, 2005