Routing protocols for self-organizing hierarchical ad-hoc wireless networks

A novel self-organizing hierarchical architecture is proposed for improving the scalability properties of adhoc wireless networks. This paper focuses on the design and evaluation of routing protocols applicable to this class of hierarchical ad-hoc networks. The performance of a hierarchical network with the popular dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol is evaluated and compared with that of a conventional “flat” ad-hoc networks using an ns-2 simulation model. The results for an example sensor network scenario show significant capacity increases with the hierarchical architecture (∼4:1). Alternative routing metrics that account for energy efficiency are also considered briefly, and the effect on user performance and system capacity are given for a specific example.