FPGA Implementation of Cluster Formation Algorithms in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks

Scalability has been an important issue in mobile ad-hoc network (MANET). Clustering is one of the mechanisms that are used in handling the scalability issue. Many cluster formation and cluster maintenance algorithms have been proposed for MANET. This paper presents the hardware implementation and study of some of the proposed cluster formation algorithms such as lowest ID, highest degree, K-clustering, and weighted clustering algorithm (WCA). The FPGA implementation shows that for all four clustering algorithms implemented, the CLB slices used is between 123 slices and 559 slices with operating frequency between 137.95 MHz and 325.5 MHz. For the same algorithms implemented, the total power consumption is between 667.5 mW and 795.4 mW while the total current consumption is between 329.2 mA and 401.3 mA.