Performance Evaluation of Proactive, Reactive, and Hybrid Routing Protocols for Low- and High-Density MANETs

Abstract

Wireless ad hoc networks are becoming more and more popular every day. SENSOR, VANET, and MANET are a few examples of this kind of network. Various wireless network types are dynamic in nature and share distinct functionalities; however, determining which type of network to use based on user requirements is not always clear. It is also usually not clear which protocols are optimal in solving the routing issues that frequently arise in each kind of wireless network. To fill this gap, in this research work, we evaluate the aforementioned networks and prove that, in the end, MANET is the best choice because it can be readily deployed anywhere, at any time, to satisfy the needs of most users. We then conduct a performance evaluation of three popular routing protocol types in MANET namely AODV [Reactive], TORA [Hybrid], and DSDV [Proactive]. We use the well-known network evaluation parameter metrics i.e. throughput, average end-to-end delay, and packet delivery ratio for the above-mentioned comparative evaluation. The OPNET simulator was used to run the simulations. In terms of packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and throughput, the findings obtained for both low- and high-density networks revealed that TORA performs better in networks with low node density while DSDV outperforms other protocols in networks with high node density.