PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF AD-HOC NETWORKS USING NS2: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ROUTING PROTOCOLS

An Ad-hoc network is a type of wireless network where nodes communicate with one another using multi-hop links, without the reliance on any fixed infrastructure or centralized administration. In this dynamic network, wireless mobile nodes self-organize to create a communication framework that uses multi-hop point-to-point (P2P) routing to establish network connectivity. Given the limited range of wireless transmission, each node acts as a relay for other nodes, enabling communication between distant nodes by forming a cooperative network. The primary challenge in Ad-hoc networks lies in discovering and maintaining routes for data transmission between source and destination nodes, especially when they are separated by multiple intermediate nodes. This decentralized and infrastructure-less approach makes Ad-hoc networks highly flexible, but also presents unique challenges related to routing, scalability, and network stability.