A Node Control Model for the Charging and Accounting Problem in MANETs

Because of the lack of infrastructure in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), their proper functioning must rely on co-operations among mobile nodes. However, mobile nodes tend to save their own resources and might be reluctant to forward packets for other nodes. In this paper, we address the charging and accounting problems in MANETs. We develop a theoretical game model that offer advice to a central authority about the allocation of resources for monitoring mobile nodes. The solution provides the optimal monitoring probability, which discourages nodes from cheating because the gain would be compensated by the penalty. The solution is then extended to accommodate realistic assumptions such as finite punishments and imperfect monitoring. The efficiency and usefulness of the deployment of monitoring mobile agents were confirmed by simulation results.