A hybrid architecture for integrating Mobile ad hoc network and the internet using Fixed and Mobile Gateways

The integration of wired and wireless networks is gaining popularity due to its usefulness and practical use. Internet connectivity would benefit users from mobility offered by Mobile Ad hoc networks and connectivity provided by the Internet. This integration however faces problem due to architectural differences in terms of infrastructure, topology, and mobility mechanisms. A number of integration strategies have been proposed so far. Few strategies use fixed gateways, others use mobile gateways. Some strategies are based on Mobile IPv4 while others are based on Mobile IPv6. The ad hoc routing protocols deployed in the framework are also different. In this paper, we propose a framework for integrating Mobile ad hoc network and the Internet using both fixed and mobile gateways. The ad hoc mobile nodes can access the Internet using either fixed or mobile gateway, based on criteria of distance, load on the gateway. We use an extended version of AODV routing protocol in the framework. The objective behind using both fixed and mobile gateways is to increase the reliability of the Internet access, scalability, providing transparent Internet access to the ad hoc hosts and in general improve the performance of the integrated framework. The proposed framework is a hybrid approach involving two-layer and three layer approaches of integration.