Broadcast efficiency in mobile ad hoc networks: Dynamic methods and constant approximation

Abstract

The term "MANET," which stands for "Mobile Adhoc Network," refers to an ad hoc wireless network incorporating routing mechanism atop an ad hoc link layer network. These networks consist of wirelessly linked mobile nodes that selfconfigure and self-heal. Due to frequent changes in network architecture, MANET nodes have the freedom to move. Each node in the network serves as a router, forwarding traffic to specified nodes. Broadcast algorithms in wireless ad hoc networks typically follow two main approaches: static and dynamic. In the static approach, local algorithms proactively determine each node's status based on local topology information and a globally known priority function. This paper reveals that existing local broadcast algorithms based on the static approach fail to achieve a satisfactory approximation factor for the optimum solution to an NP-hard problem. However, it is demonstrated that a constant approximation factor is attainable when relative position information is available. The hybrid broadcast method dynamically determines each node's state "on-the-fly," ensuring complete delivery and maintaining a consistent value approaching the ideal outcome as closely as possible.