Implementation of power aware features in AODV for ad hoc sensor networks. A simulation study

Ad hoc wireless networks are power constrained since nodes operate with limited battery energy. Thus, energy consumption is crucial in the design of new ad hoc routing protocols. To design such protocols, we have to look away from the traditional minimum hop routing schemes. This paper presents an energy-aware routing mechanism to balance the energy consumption among the nodes of the network. The mechanism was based on the AODV protocol using a realistic energy consumption model which takes into account the battery of a node and the transmission energy. The results show that the modified AODV protocol reduces the energy consumption of the nodes by routing packets to their destination using energy-optimal routes. The outcome is the improvement of network survivability by maintaining the network connectivity without affecting negatively the others parameters of the protocol.