Multi-path routing protocol with load balancing policy in mobile ad hoc network

Research on multi-path routing to provide improved throughput and route resilience as compared with single-path routing has been explored in detail in the context of wired networks. However, multi-path routing has not been explored thoroughly in the domain of ad hoc networks. We propose a multi-path routing protocol with a load balancing policy to improve the network throughput, decrease average end-to-end delay and reduce congestion in ad hoc networks. We apply our scheme as an extension on top of existing dynamic source routing (DSR) and study the performance of our scheme using simulations. The simulations show a 15-20% improvement in packet delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay.

1. Introduction

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) have attracted research interest for a long time Initially. it was named Packet Radio Network, and initiated by Department of Defence (DoD) from the United States of America. Routing and medium access control algorithms limited to only voice applications were proposed for tactical military operations However, interests in this area declined due to limitations of mobile nodes such as power and processing ability