Performance measurements of multi-hop communications in vehicular ad hoc networks

In this paper, we discuss and analyze results from real-world performance measurements of a two-hop mobile scenario in an IEEE 802.11p-based vehicular ad hoc network. We have used a roadside unit (RSU) mounted on a highway gantry as information source, and two vehicles equipped with on-board units (OBUs), acting as relay and destination node. We analyze performance gains in terms of coverage range extension and throughput increase, achievable by combining the information received via the direct and the relay link. Our results show that a simple decode-and-forward (DF) relaying yields substantial performance improvements in IEEE 802.11p-based networks.