Performance analysis of routing protocol in WiMAX network

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a technology that bridges the gap between fixed and mobile access and offer the same subscriber experience for fixed and mobile user. Demand for such type of mobile broadband services and applications are growing rapidly as it provides freedom to the subscribers to be online wherever they are at a competitive price and other significant facilities such as increasing amounts of bandwidth, using a variety of mobile and roaming devices. The earliest version of WiMAX is based on IEEE 802.16 and is optimized for fixed and roaming access, which is further extended to support portability and mobility based on IEEE 802.16e, also known as Mobile WiMAX. However, frequent topology changes caused by node mobility make routing in Mobile WiMAX networks a challenging problem. This paper presented an analysis on those routing protocols especially designed for wireless networks. A study and comparison on the performance of three routing protocols (AODV, DSR, and DSDV) for Mobile WiMAX environment is done. An assumption of each subscriber station has its routing capabilities within its own network is prepared. The performance matrix includes Packet Delivery fraction (PDF), Throughput, End to End Delay, and number of packet dropped were identified. The study used NS2 simulator for the comparison on the performance analysis. Successfully results found that AODV protocol outperform the DSR and DSDV.