A Mobile Ad-hoc network (MANET) is a network which forms a kind of self organized network without any pre-established infrastructure over radio links. Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are more effective in node –to- node communication. In current era of technology where most of the things are based on networks, MANETs are more suitable for wireless communication and data transfer medium due to the advent of 3G, 4G & 5G technologies. The primary objective of such an ad-hoc network routing protocol is to create appropriate and efficient route between a pair of nodes so that messages can be transmitted in a timely fashion. The dynamic design of this network makes routing protocols a prominent part in creating efficient routes between pairs of nodes The design of routes should be achieved with minimal overhead and bandwidth usage In last two decades many multicast routing protocols are designed and implemented. This paper focuses on some of the MANETs protocols and their characteristics along with their advantages and disadvantages.
A Survey on Network Layer Multicast Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks