Improving Throughput and Controlling Congestion Collapse in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Mobile ad hoc networks are collections of mobile nodes that can dynamically form temporary networks without the need for pre-existing network infrastructure or centralized administration. These nodes can be arbitrarily located and can move freely at any given time. Hence, the network topology can change rapidly and unpredictably. Because wireless link capacities are usually limited, congestion is possible in MANETs. Hence, balancing the load in a MANET is important since nodes with high loads will deplete their batteries quickly, thereby increasing the probability of disconnecting or partitioning the network. Here a load balancing protocol is proposed to improve the network throughput, decrease average end-to-end delay and reduce congestion in ad hoc networks. This scheme is applied as an extension on top of existing load balanced routing protocols. Simulation results obtained using ns-2 network simulation platform show a 20-25% improvement in packet delivery ratio and average end-to-end delay.