Assessing the Impact of Node Density on MANET Routing: A Comparative Study of NTSM, AODV, and DSDV Using NS2 Simulation

MANETs provide a dynamic, decentralised communication architecture that enables nodes to form spontaneous networks. They are, therefore, best suited for situations where fixed infrastructure does not exist. However, performance in MANETs depends heavily on the routing protocol used and the node density. This paper describes the performance evaluation of three necessary routing protocols, NTSM, AODV, and DSDV, with respect to different node density conditions. We use extensive simulations on the NS2 simulation framework to analyses the performance of these protocols at several node densities. The critical performance metrics under study include packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, network throughput, and routing overhead. The systematic comparative study aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the protocols and their adaptability to dynamic variations within the network. This study explains in detail how NTSM, AODV, and DSDV respond to changes in node density in simulated MANET environments. They could serve as valuable guidelines for selecting the best routing protocol for different deployment types. Furthermore, these results highlight that, when designing and optimising MANETs, network dynamics and node density variations should also be considered, particularly through simulation tools such as NS2 for performance evaluation.