A prediction-based link availability estimation for routing metrics in MANETs

A Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) is a collection of wireless mobile terminals that are able to dynamically form a temporary network without any aid from fixed infrastructure or centralized administration. One critical issue for routing in MANETs is how to select reliable paths that can last as long as possible since terminal mobility may cause radio links to be broken frequently. To solve this problem, a criterion that can judge path reliability is needed. The reliability of a path depends on the number of links and the reliability of each link constituting the path. Many routing metrics in terms of number of links have been proposed, such as the shortest path routing. However, how to measure link availability or reliability in order to find more reliable paths has not been addressed adequately in the literature. (By a link being available, we mean that the radio quality of the link satisfies the minimum requirement for successful communication. Link availability is used to measure probability or degree that a link is available. The terms availability and reliability are used interchangeable in this paper.) This paper first introduces a prediction-based link availability estimation to quantify the link reliability. This quantity makes use of some instantly available information and also considers the dynamic nature of link status in order to properly reflect the link reliability. Then, this quantity has been further used to develop routing metrics for path selection in terms of path reliability to improve routing performances. The proposed schemes have been investigated through computer simulation.