Simulated Annealing as a Strategy for Robust Routing in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks

In this study, we check the performance of traditional AODV (Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector), MAODV (Multicast AODV), and a proposed Simulated Annealing (SA)-Optimized Routing protocol in a Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET). A python-based simulation was used to compare these protocols performance in terms of packets sent, packets received, latency, and throughput under dynamic network conditions. These results shows that SA-optimized routing consistently gives improved performance then AODV and MAODV in all performance metrics, achieving significantly higher packet delivery rates and lower latency. In SA-optimized routing adapts effectively to changing network conditions by exploring next to optimal routes early in the simulation and converging to optimal routes over time. This adaptability leads to better throughput, particularly in scenarios with high node mobility, making the SA-optimized routing protocol a more robust way for MANET environments.