C-VeT An Open Research Platform for VANETs: Evaluation of Peer to Peer Applications in Vehicular Networks

C-VeT´s backbone is based on the UCLA´s IEEE 802.11 campus-wide wireless infrastructure and is complemented by a wireless mesh provided by MobiMesh. The nodes participating in the mesh are installed in strategic campus location and perform packet routing as well as serve as access points for the mobile nodes. The mesh core network is deployed using IEEE 802.11a interfaces at 5.9 GHz and directional antennas while the access service is offered using IEEE 802.11g interfaces in the 2.4 GHz band. The network management and monitoring infrastructure has been deployed using a wide area wireless network technology in the ISM band of 900 MHz red links. The 900 MHz digital radio, provides enough bandwidth to perform realtime monitoring of the vehicular network and maintenance of the network nodes. The 900 MHz wireless infrastructure has been laid down to guarantee an independent channel to be used for network management and monitoring operations without interferences with on going experiments.