Mobile nodes in mobile ad-hoc networks usually depend on an exhaustible means for providing energy, such as batteries. This makes energy conservation an important design decision for mobile ad-hoc network protocols. Nodes with low battery power may decide to enter a power saving or sleep mode when they having nothing to send or to receive, until another high priority event is generated. This may disturb the entire operation of the mobile ad-hoc network, as each node acts as a router, forwarding packets for other nodes.

In conclusion, mobile ad-hoc networks are expected to play an important role in future wireless generations. In a mobile ad-hoc network, a distributed set of performance issues requires new protocols for network operations. This makes the design of a routing protocol for mobile ad-hoc networks a challenging issue. The presence of so many protocols for routing in a mobile ad-hoc network is an indication that the problem of routing is not very well understood. To invent an efficient routing strategy in a mobile ad-hoc network, the routing approach should show a high degree of adaptivity toward the dynamics of the mobile ad-hoc network.

James Booth is Editor-at-Large at ZATZ Publishing. In addition to writing for Computing Unplugged and Connected Photographer, he's the author of Do-It-Yourself Wedding Photography. A self-taught photographer, James also dabbles in digital graphics and has learned to be a PC and handheld specialist through personal trial and error. James can be reached at jbooth@zatz.com.