International Journal of Engineering and Technology

Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is an autonomous system containing a cluster of mobile nodes which can dynamically change their network topology. It requires no pre-existing fixed network infrastructure or centralized administration. It operates in a standalone fashion. All the mobile nodes in the network are connected by wireless links. These nodes are free to move anywhere and organize themselves into a network. Each node behaves as a router and should therefore forward packets to other nodes in the network. For this purpose, a routing protocol is needed. Mobile ad-hoc network has certain characteristics such as dynamic topology that inserts new demands on the routing protocol which often limits resources such as storage capacity of CPU, battery power and bandwidth. Mobility models emulate the realistic conditions and dictate the movement of nodes. This paper aims to evaluate the performance and compare the three MANET routing protocols AODV, DSR and DSDV in different mobility conditions while varying pause time and node density. Three mobility models included are Random Waypoint, Random Walk and Random Direction. Lastly, we present simulation results that illustrate how the performance of a MANET protocols drastically change, as a result of changing the mobility taking Throughput, Average End-End Delay, Packet Delivery Ratio and Normalized Routing Load as differentials. The conclusion, which routing protocol is best in each of the varying mobility is also stated. Simulations are carried out using Ns2.