What is the Difference Between AODV and DSR?

Pre-requisites: AODV,DSR 

Mobile Computing is defined as a computing environment which is mobile and moves along with the user. In this article we will see the difference between AODV and DSR.

AODV (Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector)

It is a reactive protocol that creates routes between nodes only when they are required. It employs a distance vector technique and keeps track of nodes and their distances in a routing table. It uses sequence numbers to eliminate routing loops and maintain route freshness. One of its advantages is that it makes efficient use of network resources by establishing routes only when necessary. However, the overhead of maintaining the routing table can be significant, especially in bigger networks.

Ad-Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing Sample Network

DSR (Dynamic Source Routing)

It is a proactive strategy that plans routes ahead of time. It employs a source routing method and keeps a route cache in order to store previously identified routes. It employs hop-by-hop routing and does not necessitate the updation of a routing table. It has a low overhead because it does not need to constantly update routing tables. However, the higher latency caused by the requirement to determine a packet’s whole path before delivering it can be negative.

Dynamic Source Routing Sample Network

 Difference between AODV and DSR

Feature	AODV	DSR
Protocol type	Reactive(Creates routes only when needed)	Proactive(Creates routes ahead of time)
Routing algorithm	It uses distance vector algorithm to discover and maintain routes	It uses source routing algorithm to determine the entire path of a packet before it is sent
Routing table size	Smaller routing table size due to the reactive nature	Larger routing table size due to the proactive nature
Efficiency	It maintains efficient communication between nodes in Mobile and Pervasive Computing	It may lead to reduced network efficiency due to unnecessary consumption of network resources
Security	It is less secure than DSR due to the use of broadcast messages	It is more secure than AODV due to the use of source routing
Network Load	Lower network load due to reactive nature	Higher network load due to the proactive nature
Advantage	It only establishes routes when required so the network resources are used effieciently	It reduces overhead, as it does not need to constantly update the routing tables
Disadvantage	It causes overhead, as it needs to constantly update the routing tables	It reduces network efficiency due to the unnecessary consumption of network resources difference between AODV and DSR?