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.

Dr. Humayun Bakht completed his Ph.D at the School of Computing and Mathematics in Liverpool at John Moores University. Prior to his current course of studies, he has successfully completed his MSc Software Engineering and BSc Electronics Engineering from University of Liverpool UK and Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi, Pakistan. Humayun's research interest is mobile ad-hoc networks, in particular, the development of a new routing algorithm for this type of networking. He can be reached at humayunbakht@yahoo.co.uk and you can visit his Web site at http://www.geocities.com/humayunbakht/.