A Review of Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET) Protocols and their Applications

In this paper, an investigation on protocol issues for mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) is conducted. The capacity and relevance of nomadic computing are evident with the quick propagation of wireless devices like laptops, wireless sensors, and smartphones. A MANET is a non-temporary infrastructure, consisting of a group of mobile hosts which have no central management and dynamically create their network or connections. This type of network introduces complexities such as regular changes to the topology. The constraints of bandwidth, low energy, and storage capacities of such mobile nodes impose severe limitations on their abilities. Some nodes also cannot communicate directly as there are generally small transmission ranges within nodes in MANETs. Therefore, routing paths can be of multiple hops, and it is the responsibility of neighbouring nodes to operate as routers. A comparative analysis using qualitative techniques is performed by categorizing different routing protocols as proactive, reactive, hybrid and nature-inspired. Protocols such as the Destination-Sequenced Distance Vector (DSDV), Wireless Routing Protocol (WRP), Ad Hoc On-demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV), Zone Routing Protocol (ZRP) and AntHocNet are described to know their suitability for real-life applications. This study reveals that hybrid protocols are better as they consume less power and uses bandwidth more efficiently.