An Implementation of a Parasitic Routing Algorithm

Abstract

Portable personal computers with low-power requirements are fast becoming a necessity as access to up to date information is required by users no matter what their location. Unfortunately the ability to deliver this information between disjoined users is not as advanced. Mobile ad-hoc networks offer a partial solution to this problem, allowing users to transmit information through intermediate nodes; however the protocols that are currently favoured in these networks rely on constant end-to-end connectivity. If a mobile ad-hoc network consists of few nodes relative to the area it covers and consists of low-power devices i.e. devices with short transmission ranges, the network will likely not fulfill the current model and will consist of a number of partitioned networks or isolated nodes. This dissertation addresses this scenario and proposes a solution that makes use of the changing network topology, using the nodes movements as a help and not a hindrance. Simulations results included in this dissertation evaluate the implementation and compare a number of different scenarios including a simulation making use of a `traditional? ad-hoc routing protocol: Dynamic Source Routing.