Route dynamics for Shortest Path First routing in mobile ad hoc networks

This paper investigates the route dynamics of Shortest-Path First (SPF) routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). In particular, we find, from a statistical analysis of route duration and route change interval, that route dynamics may require complex modelling. Our analysis considers various mobility models, node velocities and node densities of the MANET network. Our findings show that, in a MANET with moderate or high rate of mobility, the route duration could be approximated by an exponential distribution with approximate parameters, while the route duration of specific lengths could not. Our findings suggest that minimum hop-count routing in MANETs may be inappropriate and that further investigation is required in order to develop models that let us understand MANET route dynamics.