Simulation-based Evaluation of Mobile Ad Hoc Network Routing Protocols: Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector, Fisheye State Routing, and Zone Routing Protocol

Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is an infrastructure-less and decentralized network without any physical connections. Nodes are mobile, free to move, and independent of each other which makes routing a difficult task. Hence, a dynamic routing protocol is needed to make MANET reliable and function properly. Several routing protocols have been proposed with different working mechanisms and performance levels. Therefore, the performance study of those protocols is needed. This paper evaluates the performance of MANET routing protocols using simulation based experiments to observe the behavior of the network as the density of the nodes increases. The paper evaluates the performance of proactive (fisheye state routing), reactive (ad hoc on-demand distance vector), and hybrid (zone routing protocol) routing protocols in terms of the packet delivery fraction, average throughput, and average end-to-end delay. The simulations of protocols to analyze their performance in different conditions were performed using the network simulator 2 (NS 2).