Abstract: In the past few years, cognitive radio paradigm has emerged as a solution to avoid problems of spectrum scarcity and inefficiency in spectrum usage. Cognitive Radio (CR) capable to identify the unused spectrum in order to allow CR users to occupy it without interfering the primary users (PUs). Routing is a crucial task in CR network (CRN) due to diversity in available channels. In this paper, Routing Protocol for Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Network (ROPCORN) and Weight Cumulative Expected Transmission Time (WCETT) routing protocols used to address the efficient route selection between the source and destination in a Cognitive Radio Ad-Hoc Network (CRAHN). The performance of ROPCORN and WCETT is evaluated on the basis of average throughput in three kinds of routing structure to satisfy different requirements from users: 1) single radio multi-channels, 2) equal number of radios and channels and 3) multi-radios multi-channels. The simulation result shows ROPCORN has a significant average throughput in single radio multi-channels where the average throughput is 48.25% higher compared to average throughput in WCETT. However, WCETT has a significant average throughput in equal number of radios and channels; as well as in multi-radios multi-channels where the difference of average throughput is 38.22% and 34.63% respectively.

Keywords: cognitive radio; routing protocol; ROPCORN; WCETT.