Connectivity with static transmission range in vehicular ad hoc networks

Connectivity in mobile wireless ad-hoc networks is maintained by setting the transmission range so that a node can establish a link to any other node in the network either directly or over multiple hops. Many analytical and experimental studies have focused on determining the minimum transmission range (MTR) that provides connectivity while minimizing transceiver power for various levels of node densities. In this paper, we determine, using simulations, the MTR in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) of various road configurations. We show that in 1-lane, 2-lane, and 2-way roads, MTR values confirm the analytical relations developed in the literature for 1-dimensional networks until density increases beyond a critical vehicle density. Moreover, where traffic jams are forming at intersections, MTR values are not affected by the change in vehicle density. Therefore, a large static transmission range must be chosen in order to keep the network connected in all traffic scenarios.