Weight based multicast routing protocol for ad hoc wireless networks

Ad hoc wireless networks are self-organizing, dynamic topology networks formed by a collection of mobile nodes through radio links. Minimal configuration, absence of infrastructure and quick deployment make them convenient for emergency situations apart from military applications. Multicasting plays a crucial role in the application of ad hoc networks. Since bandwidth is limited in ad hoc wireless networks, a multicast routing protocol must be efficient. It is well known that tree based multicast routing protocols are efficient. But, the main drawback of these protocols is that they are not robust enough to achieve high packet delivery ratios. We propose a tree based multicast protocol in which, to make the protocol robust as well as efficient, a node joins the multicast tree by taking into consideration not only the number of forwarding nodes but also the distance between the source and receiver. For tree maintenance, we have used a localized prediction scheme which results in a high packet delivery ratio.