VANETs (Vehicular Adhoc Networks): Introduction, Imperatives and Challenges

Dr. Rajesh Gargi, Sumit Goyal

The integration of communication technology in state-of the art vehicles has begun years ago: Car phones and Internet access based on cellular technologies as well as Bluetooth adapters for the integration of mobile devices are popular examples. This paper presents an insight into the VANETs (Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks) technology. This technology integrates WLAN/cellular and Ad Hoc networks to achieve the continuous connectivity. Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET), a subclass of mobile Ad Hoc networks (MANETs), is a promising approach for future intelligent transportation system (ITS). These networks have no fixed infrastructure and instead rely on the vehicles themselves to provide network functionality. However, due to mobility constraints, driver behavior, and high mobility, VANETs exhibit characteristics that are dramatically different from many generic MANETs. This paper provides a comprehensive study of challenges in these networks.