Performance Evaluation of Reactive, Proactive and Hybrid Routing Protocols Based on Network Size for MANET

Ad hoc network is a collection of wireless mobile nodes where wireless radio interface connectseach device in a MANET to move freely, independently and randomly. Routing protocols inmobile ad hoc network helps to communicate source node with destination node by sending andreceiving packets. Lots of protocols are developed in this field but it is not easier to decide whichone is winner. In this paper, we present investigations on the behavior of five routing protocolsAODV (Ad hoc On demand distance vector), DSR (Dynamic Source Routing), DYMO (DynamicMANET On demand), OLSR (Optimized link state routing) and ZRP (Zone routing protocol)based on IEEE 802.11CSMA/CA MAC protocol are analyzed and compared using QualNetsimulator on the basis of performance metrics such as Average Jitter, Total Packets Received,Packet Delivery Ratio, End-to-End Delay, Throughput, Average Queue Length, Average time inQueue, dropped packets due to non availability of routes and Energy consumption in transmit andreceive Mode. To test competence and effectiveness of all five protocols under diverse networkscenarios costing is done by means varying load by varying CBR data traffic load, changingnumber of Nodes and mobility. Finally results are scrutinized in from different scenarios to providequalitative assessment of the applicability of the protocols.