Localization and Frequency of Packet Retransmission as Criteria for Successful Message Propagation in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

As the field of the wired networking communications developed, so did the mechanisms for the reliable delivery of messages from one user to another. With the advance of the wireless communications, these mechanisms had to be adjusted, or sometimes developed anew. Vehicular ad hoc networks present themselves as a specific example, where the mechanisms, which are in use in the Wireless LANs and mobile ad hoc networks, are not enough. This paper will discuss, in particular, the range of the message propagation and frequency of the message re-broadcasts by nodes that received it. As these factors are adjusted, they will produce higher throughput and lesser packet loss. The latter factor is of prime importance for the vehicular ad hoc networks, due to the fact that there is no process of packet reception acknowledgment as it exists in typical Wireless LANs. The concept of a single broadcast is of the utmost importance in the case of a vehicle sending a warning message, where the neighboring vehicles could benefit greatly from the information received. These abovementioned aspects will be shown through the simulation of the vehicular ad hoc network.