REAL Routing: REputation Based Approach on 2.5-Layer Routing for Reliable Packet Delivery in Wireless Multi-Hop Networks

This paper presents a framework of wireless multi-hop networks exploiting an ad hoc routing protocol working on the layer 2.5, called REAL (reputation based approach on 2.5-Layer) routing protocol. The framework of REAL routing protocol incorporates following three things: a new concept of wireless multi-hop network architecture, a new 2.5-layer routing technique with a reputation management scheme, and high throughput network performance based on cross-layer approaches between MAC (medium access control) and REAL layers. We compare the performance of the REAL routing protocol with previous routing algorithms, DSR (dynamic source routing) and AODV (ad hoc on demand distance vector). A case study on practical experiments and simulations shows that the REAL routing protocol yields better performance in terms of low rate of packet loss, fast packet delivery time, and high throughput network performance.