Performance characteristics of inter-vehicle ad hoc networks

Inter-vehicle communication (IVC) networks are a sub-class of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). They have no fixed infrastructure and instead rely on the mobile nodes themselves to provide network functionality. However, due to mobility constraints, driver behavior, and high mobility, IVC networks exhibit characteristics that are dramatically different than those of many generic MANETs studied so far. This paper elicits these differences through simulations and mathematical models, and then investigates the impact of the differences on the IVC communication architecture, including important security implications.