A Stable Weight-based Routing Protocol For Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

A mobile Ad Hoc network(MANET) is a collection of autonomous mobile nodes that communicate with each other over wireless links. It does not rely on any fixed based stations or any wired backbone infrastructures.Nodes can join or leave a MANET freely, and may move frequently. Every node may work as a host and a router at the same time. Because it does not need any fixed infrastructure and can be built fast, the ease of deployment and widespread applications of mobile Ad Hoc networks has contributed to their popularity. However , a mobile Ad Hoc network differs from wired networks in several respects. Routing protocols are challenged by high mobility, low bandwidth, limited computing capability and limited energy which are the key characteristics of mobile nodes.Routing protocol is the key problem for a mobile Ad Hoc network, and the research has become very hot recently. Many routing protocols have been proposed. How to find a route fast and effectively is much concerned when designing most of the routing protocols. while the other problems, such as the stability of the route, the load balance and the energy of the nodes on the route, are not concerned enough. After introducing some of the main routing protocols and analyzing the disadvantages of the traditional routing protocols which chose routes by the route delay and the length of the route, we proposes a stable weight-based routing protocol(SWRP).The proposed scheme uses weight-based route strategy to select a stable route. The weight of the route is decided by three factors: the route expiration time, the route energy level, and the hop count. By this way, we can chose a more stable route which does not include the nodes which move fast or have low energy level. It can reduce route failure and protect the nodes effectively. Moreever, SWRP have the ability of load balance.