A framework for wireless ad hoc routing protocols

Many wireless ad hoc routing protocols have been proposed in the literature. Researchers are comparing and improving these protocols before standard routing protocols are defined. In this paper, we present a framework for wireless ad hoc routing protocols based on the concept of a relay node set (RNS). This framework facilitates the comparison, design, and improvement of wireless ad hoc routing protocols. We briefly present an analytical model for comparing protocols using this framework with packet overhead as the metric. We also apply the framework to show how to improve a routing protocol. Future work using the framework is also discussed.