Department of Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
Email: Riccardo.fonti@studio.unibo.it (R.F.); andrea.piroddi@unibo.it (A.P.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received December 18, 2024; revised February 2, 2025; accepted February 28, 2025; published April 28, 2025
Abstract—Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are decentralized wireless networks, characterized by their dynamic topologies and node mobility. In the era of cutting-edge technologies, integrating Software-Defined Networking (SDN) with MANETs offers a promising solution to manage these challenges more efficiently. This paper presents a balanced discussion of MANETs and SDN, demonstrating how SDN principles, such as centralized control and network virtualization, can optimize MANET performance in terms of scalability, cost-efficiency, and security. A mathematical model is developed to analyze Capital Expenditures (CAPEX), Operational Expenditures (OPEX), and network efficiency.
Keywords—Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs), Software-Defined Networking (SDN), scalability, network efficiency, dynamic topology, cost-benefit analysis
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Cite: Riccardo Fonti and Andrea Piroddi, "Enhancing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) with Software-Defined Networking (SDN): A Balanced Approach," Journal of Advances in Computer Networks, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 7-14, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (
CC BY 4.0).
