Exploring seamless connectivity and proactive handover techniques in VANET systems

In order to provide Dependable Vehicular Communications for Improved Road Safety, it is necessary to have reliable Vehicular-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication. Such requirements demand that the handover process as vehicles move between adjacent Roadside Units (RSUs) be examined in detail to understand how seamless communication can be achieved. Since the use of beacons is a key part of VANETs, it is necessary to investigate how the beaconing process affects the opportunities to effect handovers. A framework is needed to be able to calculate the regions of overlap in adjacent RSU coverage ranges to guarantee ubiquitous connectivity. A highly mobile environment, therefore, makes this a serious challenge and points to the need to look at proactive handover techniques. This chapter, therefore, explores the development of the proactive handover mechanisms required to provide seamless connectivity and dependable communication in VANET environments