The performance of the routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks in mobile networks

Abstract

The IPv6 routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks (RPL) is a routing protocol that is standardized for constrained devices. This standard only considers static nodes and consequently underperforms in networks with moving nodes. Several studies exist intending to mend this problem, but analyses of RPL's performance in mobile situations are too scarce. These studies are needed to help researchers find related future work directions and improve RPL's support for moving nodes. This paper, therefore, analyzes the performance of RPL in dynamic networks and compares this to its performance in static networks by considering several routing and security metrics. It focuses on the impact of mobility when a node joins, leave, or moves within the network. The analysis concludes by discussing the effects of dynamic nodes on larger scale networks, DODAG's with multiple roots and networks with mobile roots. Afterward, DIS flooding is considered as an example of how attacks and their mitigations can be impacted by mobility, showing that more work is needed to secure RPL in these situations. This paper is constructed with a literature review and includes no experiments as the analyses in this research are broader than a few testable configurations.