Abstract
Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are dynamic, infrastructure-less systems where nodes self-organize to communicate. They are vital for mission-critical domains—military operations, disaster relief, and rescue—and increasingly support Internet of Things in smart homes, smart environments, and Industry 4.0. Despite flexibility, MANETs face frequent topology changes, packet loss, and quality of service degradation. Software-defined networking offers centralized visibility and control, but current software-defined MANETs (SD-MANETs) suffer scalability limits and single points of failure. The authors implemented a decentralized SD-MANET that distributes control across clustered Ryu controllers, coordinated by Apache ZooKeeper for leader election and Redis for synchronized state. In Mininet-Wi-Fi, the framework delivers higher throughput, better scalability, and improved fault tolerance with lower control overhead than centralized SD-MANETs. Replacing a single controller with a cluster strengthens deployments and provides a resilient backbone for Internet of Things-driven smart environments where high reliability and mobility are essential.