Performance comparison of on-demand routing protocols for Mobile Ad hoc Networks

Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) augment the conventional wireless networking paradigm by facilitating multi-hop routes among participating nodes, without help from any pre-constructed infrastructure. This potency is endowed by many state of the art routing protocols proposed in recent years. Some of these protocols focus on proactive formulation and maintenance of routes to every destination, some follow a rather reactive approach to locate a route only when it is needed, and others try to find a balance between the both. This article reviews and provides a comprehensive performance comparison of three on-demand routing protocols DYMO, AODV, and DSR. The comparison will help ad hoc network designers and researchers to choose a more appropriate routing protocol for their needs.