A Novel Approach for Selecting Stable MPR in the OLSR Protocol

In emergency scenarios where communication infrastructures fail, Flying Ad Hoc Networks (FANETs) emerge as a vital solution, offering unmatched adaptability and rapid deployment. However, FANETs face significant challenges due to their high three-dimensional mobility and stringent resource limitations, posing a challenge for routing protocols such as Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR), widely adopted in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs). A cornerstone of OLSR, the Multi-Point Relay (MPR) selection originally relies on node position, which proves inadequate for FANETs, leading to frequent link failures, congestion, and rapid energy drain. Previous attempts to improve the MPR selection by integrating additional metrics such as residual energy fall short, exacerbating these issues. Our innovative solution introduces a proactive strategy that integrates real-time metrics (residual energy, position and congestion) with predictive indicators (node lifetime and movement direction) to ensure stable MPR selection, minimizing packet loss, and boosting network resilience. Extensive simulations in varied mobility and density scenarios reveal remarkable gains: up to 26% higher average throughput, up to 17% longer network lifetime and up to 10% better Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR). These significant findings affirm the effectiveness of our protocol, positioning it as a robust and reliable communication framework for FANETs.