AODV-PA: AODV with path accumulation

Ad hoc networks meet the demands of spontaneous network set-up. They are characterized by the use of wireless links, dynamically changing topology, multi-hop connectivity and decentralized routing mechanisms and decision-making. AODV and DSR are the two most widely studied on-demand ad hoc routing protocols. Previous studies have shown limitations of these protocols in certain network scenarios. To improve the performance of AODV, we modify AODV to include the source route accumulation feature of DSR. We call this AODV with path accumulation. This protocol optimizes AODV to perform effectively in terms of routing overhead and delay during high load. The performance of the protocol is evaluated by a simulation model under a variety of network conditions. We also compare its performance with that of unmodified AODV and DSR. We demonstrate how a small change to the AODV protocol can lead to significantly improved performance results.