Position-Based Routing in Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks

In ad-hoc networks, autonomous nodes collaborate to route information through the network. Commonly, nodes are end-systems and routers at the same time. In case nodes have a notion of their geographic position, a position-based routing protocol can be used, whose properties of statelessness and fast adaptability to changes in the topology match very well with the characteristics of ad-hoc networks. Position-based routing does not require the maintenance of routes but forwarding decisions are made locally, based only on the node's own position, the positions of its neighbors and the position of the destination. The routing algorithm is complemented by a location service through which a node can obtain the position of a packet's destination. We will introduce components of position-based routing, discuss some of the previously published routing algorithms, and present an application scenario where position-based routing can be used for inter-vehicle communication.<