In a mobile ad hoc network, the hardest routing question is not simply how to find a path, but when that path should be created and how long it should be maintained. Constant topology changes can make precomputed routes stale, while on-demand discovery can add delay before traffic starts.
A UAV can respond to commands on a tiny data stream yet lose usable video when the radio link becomes overloaded. That contrast makes bandwidth planning more complicated than selecting a modem by its advertised peak rate.
A mesh link can look fast in a one-hop test and still disappoint once traffic crosses several relay nodes.
A wireless mesh can show strong RSSI, stable links, and full connectivity while still slowing down the moment several nodes transmit at once. The problem may not be coverage at all.
When a patrol vehicle drops behind terrain while several teams request the same video feed, choosing between unicast, multicast, and broadcast becomes an airtime and reliability decision—not a textbook distinction.
When a handheld radio moves out of range, the network must quickly decide how traffic will reach it again. That decision becomes more complex when cameras, sensors, vehicles, and command systems share a changing multi-hop wireless topology with limited airtime.