Overhead control in interworking of MANET and infrastructure-backed mobile networks

This paper addresses issues of control overhead in a fixed and MANET interworking system. Integrating ad hoc and infrastructure-backed networks extends coverage of wireless network and allows ad hoc mobile nodes to access the Internet. This increases the chances of ad hoc mobile nodes to interact with fixed network but is achieved at the cost of higher control overhead. Control packet for MANET route discovery and maintenance and for mobility protocol-related packets are the main sources of such control overhead. Parameters that affect such overhead and effective technique to control them are identified in this study. Optimum TTL values that provide the best trade off between control packet and data throughput in different network scenarios are also identified.