Reliable Virtual Cluster-Based Opportunistic Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad hoc Networks

Geographic opportunistic routing protocols overcome the failure of traditional routing protocols which fail due to the dynamic nature of mobile ad hoc networks. When link stability is considered for forwarder selection, the hop count and delay become unpredictable. Hence, a new protocol, delay-aware cluster-based opportunistic Routing (DACOR) protocol, has been proposed. In DACOR, nodes with high transmission range form loose clusters with surrounding nodes. When such high-power nodes are not available, nodes with lower transmission range enable the routing process by opportunistically selecting the best forwarder based on link stability. When no neighbors are found, a routing hole handling mechanism is also proposed. Simulation results show that the presence of high transmission nodes reduces the hop count, thus ensuring low delay, and opportunistic routing guarantees reliable data delivery.