Performance of Internet Access Solutions in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Although an autonomous mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is useful in many scenarios, a MANET connected to the Internet is more desirable. This interconnection is achieved by using gateways, which act as bridges between a MANET and the Internet. Before a mobile node can communicate with an Internet host it needs to find a route to a gateway. Thus, a gateway discovery mechanism is required. In this paper the MANET routing protocol Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) is extended to achieve the interconnection between a MANET and the Internet. Moreover, the paper investigates and compares three approaches for gateway discovery. The question of whether the configuration phase with the gateway should be initiated by the gateway, by the mobile node or by mixing these two approaches is being discussed. We have implemented and simulated these three methods and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the three alternatives.