Performance comparison of two on-demand routing protocols for ad hoc networks

Ad hoc networks are characterized by multihop wireless connectivity, freque ntly changing network topology and the need fur efficient dynamic routing p rotocols. We compare the performance of two prominent on-demand routing pro tocols for mobile ad hoc networks: Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) and Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV). A detailed simulation model with MAC and physical layer models is used to study interlay interactions and th eir performance implications. We demonstrate that even though DSR and AODV share similar on-demand behavior, the differences in the protocol mechanics can lead to significant performance differentials. The performance differe ntials are analyzed using varying network load, mobility, and network size. Based on the observations, we make recommendations about how the performan ce of either protocol can be improved.