A dynamic route change mechanism for mobile ad hoc networks. (1st July 2011)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, C.; Kumekawa, K.; Kato, T.
• Is Part Of: International journal of communication networks and distributed systems. Volume 7:Number 1/2(2011)
• Page Start: 4
• Page End: 17
• Publication Date: 2011-07-01
• Subjects: mobile ad hoc networks -- MANETs -- reinforcement learning -- dynamic route change -- mobile networks -- routing protocols -- network mobility -- link stability -- bandwidth efficiency -- simulation; Computer networks -- Periodicals; Telecommunication systems -- Periodicals; Electronic data processing -- Distributed processing -- Periodicals; 004.6
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-3916

Abstract

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self-configuring network of mobile devices connected by wireless links. Frequent topology changes and limited bandwidth make communication in MANETs particularly challenging. We present a MANET routing protocol that can efficiently handle network mobility by a way of preemptively switching to a better route before the current route fails. The protocol uses a distributed Q-learning algorithm to infer network status information and takes in to consideration link stability and bandwidth efficiency while selecting a route. We study the performance of this protocol through simulation and demonstrate its advantages over existing protocols.