Mobile gateways for mobile ad-hoc networks with network mobility support

Providing "always-on" Internet connectivity is crucial for mobile networks in automobiles and personal area networks. The Network Mobility (NEMO) protocol provides such a support involving a bi-directional tunnel between a gateway for the mobile network and a Home Agent. However, the routing path between them is hardly optimal. In this paper, we investigate the use of ad-hoc routing protocols for route-optimized communication between mobile networks. We describe enhancements to a mobile gateway to choose the optimal route for a destination. The route can be provided by the ad-hoc routing protocol or by the basic nemo routing approach itself whenever it is desirable. Our results indicate that this approach provides better routes than the basic nemo routing approach. It also provides detour route(s) when a mobile network is disconnected from Internet access.