Route Optimization for Energy Conservation in Ad Hoc Networks

Energy efficiency is crucial in energy-constrained infrastructureless multihop ad hoc networks, in which route optimization plays an important role. The existing route optimization schemes for energy conservation by using a reactive routing protocol are classified into three categories: selecting the routes with the least number of hops to relay the packets; calculating the needed power for each hop so that the minimum total energy route can be chosen to forward the data; or balancing power consumption among participating nodes for routing the packets to avoid using the energy deficient nodes to relay the data and the route requests. This paper examines and summarizes the technologies of each category, analyzes its strengths and weaknesses, and suggests its applications.