Comparison of synchronization algorithms for OFDM-based Vehicular Ad Hoc Network

OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) has been applied in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANET) due to its ability to counteract the frequency-selective fading and its high spectral efficiency. For instance, OFDM-based IEEE802.11 802.11p has been standardized for VANET. In OFDM-based VANET, synchronization of the carrier frequency at the receiver must be performed accurately to avoid performance degradation. This paper compares the effectiveness of three synchronization algorithms to estimate the carrier frequency offset (CFO) of OFDM signals in VANET. The simulation is conducted using the parameters of IEEE 802.11p and performed under several channel models including Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel, Rayleigh channel, and COST 207 channel models.