A survey on FANET routing from a cross-layer design perspective

Abstract

With the introduction of UAVs to networking, ad hoc communications have evolved past confinement to the terrestrial grid and have moved towards aerial meshes. Until now, Flying Ad-hoc Networks (FANETs) have been relying on strictly layered communication protocols for their function and routing, a tradition set by conventional networks. With layers of said protocols functioning as ”black boxes”, any form of interaction between non-adjacent layers constitutes a direct violation of the protocols’ architecture. The work presented in this survey intends to examine existing protocols of both legacy and cross-layer architectures in terms of their potential in accommodating routing in FANET deployments. Special attention is given to multi-altitude (3D) deployments, where a substantially greater amount of processing and packet route complexity is observed, and a greater amount of node location precision is required. The potential of cross-layer designs is expressed as a function of power budgeting, mobility (and awareness thereof), security, and resource allocation, given their importance for efficient control of flying ad hoc networks.