Abstract: An ad hoc network includes a set of nodes. A source node in the network attempting to transmit a message to a destination node in the network establishes a common routing protocol between nodes in the network. The source node transmits a request for routing protocol information to a limited number of nodes in the network. The source node receives the routing protocol information from the limited number of nodes and selects a common routing protocol based on the received information. The source node transmits the selected common routing protocol to the nodes in the network.