Abstract
We analyze the problem of reducing packet losses due to the authentication time which is required when an ad hoc node switches across different gateways in a mobile ad hoc network connected to Internet (hybrid MANET). Our goal is to provide a mechanism allowing Internet gateways to accept only authorized traffic without decreasing the overall performance of the system. We propose a solution based on pre-authentication which uses utility-based optimal control to choose with which gateways to pre-authenticate over time. Our simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms traditional schemes across a variety of network scenarios and configurations.