Differences between Ad Hoc Networks and Mobile Ad Hoc Networks: A Survey

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to show the differences between ad hoc networks and mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The paper will show the routing in ad hoc networks and compare it to that of MANETs, after providing a brief introduction to MANETs. In addition, the types of routing protocols will be described as proactive and reactive protocols, where proactive routing attempts to maintain optimal routes to all destinations at all times, whether it is needed or not. In contrast, reactive protocols determine routes to given destinations only when there is data to be sent to those destinations. The paper will also provide a summary comparing uni-path and multi-path routing, by considering different parameters. Multi-path routing often has advantages more than uni-path routing, and Multi-path routing can also result in packet reordering. However, with uni-path routing, traffic allocation is not an issue since only one route is used.