Classification and Comparative Analysis of Resource Management Methods in Ad Hoc Network

Due to distinct characteristics of Ad hoc network, such as constrained energy of nodes, the instability of wireless links, the rapid changes of topology, and the limited communication range, resource management of Ad hoc network has always been a challenging task. In recent years, there have been many achievements in this research field, which gain good results in terms of enhancing user QoS, prolonging network lifetime, reducing end-to-end delay and improving network throughput. In this paper, resource management techniques and methods in Ad hoc network are surveyed. From the perspective of research methods and techniques, these study results are divided into three main categories, including cross-layer design-based resource management, game theory-based resource management, and scene awareness-based resource management. Then the advantages and shortcomings of these methods are explained from different angles. In general, adaptive scene awareness-based resource management is more suitable for dynamic Ad hoc network. In conclusion these three kinds of methods complement each other and can be combined appropriately for different application scenarios in future, to achieve more efficient resource management for Ad hoc network.