Abstract: In an embodiment of a method for registering a first device in a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET), a registration message is sent to 1-hop neighboring devices. The registration message includes a hop-limit and a freshness indicator of the first device. The freshness indicator indicates an experience level of the first device in the MANET, and the hop-limit indicates a limit on the number of hops for forwarding the registration message. According to another embodiment, a registration message of the first device is received. The registration message includes a first freshness indicator, and the first freshness indicator indicates the freshness of the registration message. Based on the received registration message, a reverse registration message may be sent and/or the registration message may be forwarded to other devices.