Heuristics on link stability in ad hoc networks

Ad hoc networks, sensor network, vehicular networks, delay tolerant networks, etc. are instances of dynamic communication networks. These networks are in particular characterized by spontaneous link failures caused by node mobility or connection problems in the wireless medium. It is a challenging task to manage networking in a dynamic environment. Ideally, important tasks and processes have to be assigned to nodes that suffer less dynamic influences. Recent results show that the lifetime of links is not uniformly distributed. This means that there are links that last longer than others in a mobile environment. This paper reports on heuristics in order to classify nodes whose links are more stable than others. The heuristics described rely solely on local topological information and are fully distributed.