Theoretical analysis of beaconless geocast protocols in 1D

Beaconless geocast protocols are routing protocols used to send messages in mobile ad-hoc wireless networks, in which the only information available to each node is its own location. Messages get routed in a distributed manner: each node uses local decision rules based on the message source and destination, and its own location. In this paper we analyze six different beaconless geocast protocols, focusing on two relevant 1D scenarios. The selection of protocols reflects the most relevant types of protocols proposed in the literature, including those evaluated in previous computer simulations. We present a formal and structured analysis of the maximum number of messages that a node can receive, for each protocol, in each of the two scenarios. This is a measure of the network load incurred by each protocol. Our analysis, that for some of the protocols requires an involved probabilistic analysis, confirms behaviors that had been observed only through simulations before.