HRSON: Home-based Routing for Smartphones in Opportunistic Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces HRSON, a novel zero-knowledge routing algorithm for smartphone-based opportunistic networks, which improves data delivery and reduces delay and overhead in infrastructure-based WiFi scenarios.

Contribution

HRSON is the first zero-knowledge routing algorithm designed for smartphone opportunistic networks using infrastructure-based WiFi, enabling effective self-organizing communication.

Findings

Increases average delivery rate

Lowers delay in data transmission

Reduces communication overhead

Abstract

Opportunistic networks are delay-tolerant networks which enable network connectivity while there is limited access to network infrastructure, such as natural disaster happenings. Since opportunistic networks use store-carry-forward mechanism to deliver data, routing algorithms have significant impact on successful data delivery. Due to the Operating System restrictions, creating an opportunistic network using ad-hoc model is not feasible on smartphones and to the best of our knowledge, none of common zero-knowledge routing algorithms have been proposed for a non-ad hoc communication model. In this paper, we propose HRSON, a zero-knowledge routing algorithm in a self-organizing approach that an opportunistic infrastructure-based WiFi network is built to use smartphones. We have deployed our approach in simulated scenario of working days of people, whom are using smartphones, on Helsinki map comparing to common zero-knowledge routing algorithms. The results show that our solution increases the average delivery-rate and lowers delay and commutation overhead.