Constant-width zones broadcast algorithm in mobile ad-hoc networks

Broadcast operation is perhaps the most fundamental services utilized frequently by other communication mechanisms in Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs).Supporting efficient broadcast operation is therefore very crucial for such networks. A novel distance-based broadcast algorithm, called Constant-Width Zones (CWZ), is proposed in this paper. CWZ can effectively alleviate the redundant rebroadcast (overlaying) problem by defining a constant upper limit for the width of all rebroadcast zones and, consequently, reducing the number of forwarding hosts. The results of our simulation-based performance study show that the proposed CWZ algorithm is able to rebroadcast packets more effectively in order to achieve higher reachability while reducing the latency especially for heavy host density networks.