Reliable transmission of multimedia streaming using a connection prediction scheme in cluster-based ad hoc networks

Cluster-based routes help data transmission by acting as backbone paths in wireless ad hoc networks. Some mobile users form a cluster to obtain common multimedia services. However, node mobility does not guarantee multimedia transmission in a network with a dynamic topology. This study first presents a novel measure of cluster-based route's stability according to a prediction of connection probability at a specific time in future, helping transmit multimedia streams across many clusters in a network. The selected route is sufficiently stable to enable cluster-based mobile users to receive time-consuming multimedia streaming in future. Secondly, inter-cluster connectivity maintenance schemes, including forward and backward connectivity methods to protect nonstop multimedia streams, are developed to maintain inter-cluster links. Finally, analytical and evaluation results indicate that the cluster-based route chosen according to the connection probability scheme is more effective than routes chosen by other flat on-demand routing protocols for transmitting multimedia streaming in ad hoc networks. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.