Effects of link stability and directionality of motion on routing algorithms in MANETs

Most of the routing protocols proposed for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) rely on caching routes to increase the speed and reduce the cost of route discovery. These protocols assume high path stability between the mobile nodes in the network. This paper studies persistence of paths under various mobility patterns and network sizes. The conclusions drawn from this study enable us to determine the effectiveness of caching and also to suggest suitable caching durations. The simulation experiments indicate that path persistence declines with increasing network density and diameter. Restricting the motion of nodes increases path persistence while also increasing network partitioning. Hence, caching of routes in mobile ad hoc networks appears to have serious scalability problems.