An analytical model for beaconing in VANETs

IEEE 802.11 CSMA/CA is generally considered to be well-understood, and many detailed models are available. However, most models focus on Unicast in small-scale W-LAN scenarios. When modelling beaconing in VANETs, the Broadcast nature and the (potentially) large number of nodes cause phenomena specific to large-scale broadcast scenarios not captured in present models of the 802.11 DCF. In a VANET scenario, transmissions from coordinated nodes are performed in so-called Streaks, without intermediate backoff counter decrement. We adapt the model by Engelstad and Østerbø and provide several improvements specific to VANET beaconing. The resulting analytical model is shown to have good fit with simulation results.