Stable Clustering in MANET Using Nodes Link Time

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self configuring network of mobile devices connected by wireless links. In order to achieve stable clusters, the cluster-heads maintaining the cluster should be stable with minimum overhead of cluster re-elections. This work proposes selecting stable cluster heads using a modified Weighted Clustering Algorithm and combining it with Link Expiration Time calculation. The mobile ad hoc network consists of nodes that move freely and communicate with each other. One way to support efficient communication between nodes is to partition ad hoc networks into clusters. Many clustering schemes have been proposed to form clusters. The WCA has improved performance compared with other previous clustering algorithms. However, the high mobility of nodes will lead to high frequency of re-affiliation which will increase the network overhead. To solve this problem, we propose a time-based WCA which can enhance the stability of cluster formation followed by stable cluster head selection.