Enhancing network lifetime through power-aware routing in MANET

Abstract

Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self-organised network that allows communication between the nodes that are in radio range of each other. MANET nodes can join and leave the network dynamically, leading to a rapid change in network topology. As not all nodes in MANET are in radio range of each other, the intermediate nodes help in routing of the packets. The packets are transferred from the source node to the destination node over the network. As the nodes in MANET are battery powered, the intermediate nodes may at times lose its power completely which might lead to partitioning of the network. Hence, the communication between the nodes might get disconnected and thus the lifetime of the network gets reduced. Thus, the limited power resource is one of the major disadvantages here, as the batteries cannot be recharged or replaced in many of the locations where MANETs are deployed. This work is aimed at providing a solution mechanism that efficiently utilises the existing power resources in MANET nodes thereby extending the lifetime of the network.