Abstract: A method is provided for selecting a route for transmitting data packets amongst nodes in an ad hoc network. The method includes determining a metric which is indicative of link stability between the nodes in the network; initiating a route discovery procedure that generates a plurality of candidate transmission paths between a source node and a destination node; and selecting a transmission path from amongst the plurality of candidate paths using the metric for nodes associated with each candidate path. The metric may be further defined as link duration (i.e., an amount of time the node maintains a link with neighboring nodes link duration).

Abstract: Mobile nodes communicate with each other to transfer packets between a source and a destination using a multi-hop network strategy for communicating packets in the forward direction and using a mobile infostation network strategy, alone or in combination with a multi-hop network strategy, for communicating packets in the reverse direction, thereby exploiting a controlled flooding communication scheme that balances the tradeoffs between capacity improvement and random packet delay. The system may be used in a variety of applications, including an intelligent highway information system.