OPNET-based modeling and simulations on routing protocols in VANETs with IEEE 802.11p

As an extension of IEEE 802.11 standards, IEEE 802.11p is specially developed for vehicular wireless communications. Routing plays a very important role in VANETs for packet delivery to mobile vehicles. To evaluate scalability and efficiency of routing protocols in VANETs, it is a critical need to simulate routing protocols with realistic mobility models. In this paper, we mainly focus on modeling the architecture and investigating the performance of routing protocols in VANETs with IEEE 802.11p. We first build an IEEE 802.11p module based on the OPNET module of IEEE 802.11a. And then, we construct a VANET simulation platform by OPNET and VanetMobiSim, where VanetMobiSim is responsible for generating traffic data and OPNET is in charge of simulating protocols in different scenarios based on IEEE 802.11p technology. Finally, based on the integrated simulation platform, the performance of IEEE 802.11p and 802.11a is compared, and the performance of AODV, DSR and GRP is also investigated thoroughly by extensive simulations. The simulation results and analysis can provide great insights in choosing a suitable routing protocol for VANETs.