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.
Voice, live video, telemetry, and command traffic often have to share the same wireless links in a mobile ad hoc network, yet they do not tolerate congestion in the same way.
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.
Node density can make a MANET either resilient or inefficient. With too few reachable nodes, routes become fragile and network partitions are more likely; pack radios too closely under heavy traffic, and shared airtime, interference, and routing overhead can start to erode performance.