Routing Protocols in Wireless Ad-hoc Networks: A Comparative Study

Ahoc wireless networks are characterized by multihop wireless connectivity, infrastructure less environment and frequently changing topology. As the wireless links are highly error prone and can go down frequently due to mobility of nodes, therefore, stable routing is a very critical task due to highly dynamic environment in adhoc wireless networks. In this paper, behavioral study of different MANET routing protocols viz. Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Adhoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) and GRP protocols, have been carried out so as to identify which protocol is most suitable for efficient routing over Mobile Adhoc NETwork (MANET). This paper provides an overview of these routing protocols by presenting their overview. The study will be helpful in identifying which protocol is best suitable for MANET and how the performance of that protocol can be further improved.