A centralized adaptive hybrid routing mechanism for Ad Hoc networks

Hybrid routing protocols in Ad Hoc networks combine proactive routing protocols with on-demand routing protocols and take advantages of both. However, the cost in delays and overheads resulted from simple domain formation algorithm of existing hybrid routing protocols is a main obstacle in improving the performance of overall ad hoc network. Owing to the above issues, in this paper we creatively apply the idea of clustering routing to hybrid routing protocols and propose a centralized adaptive hybrid routing protocol referred to as CAHR. In CAHR, several key nodes are selected using the centralized adaptive selection algorithm and different domains are formed according to the key nodes elected. By taking advantages of the key nodes, redundancy of routing forward is avoided, routing overheads are reduced and as a consequence, routing efficiency is improved. With simulations in OPNET Modeler of various scenarios, the superiority of CAHR is verified over traditional hybrid routing protocols in routing overheads, end-to-end latency, throughput and packet delivery rate.