Reducing the MAC latency for IEEE 802.11 networks in vehicular environments

Abstract

In an intermittently connected environment, access points are sparsely distributed throughout an area. As mobile users travel along the roadway, they can opportunistically connect, albeit temporarily, to roadside 802.11 APs for Internet access. Networking characteristics of vehicular opportunistic Internet access in an intermittently connected environment face numerous challenges, such as short periods of connectivity, lengthy connection setup time and unpredictable connection times. To meet these challenges, we propose an Access Point Report (APR) protocol where mobile stations opportunistically collaborate by broadcasting an APR to other mobile stations to fully utilize the short-lived connection. We also provide preliminary work preliminary work and future directions for fast han-doffs in seamlessly connected vehicular environments. In this thesis, we emphasize to use information on vehicle``s movement, i.e., trajectory information, to make accurate and fast handoffs prior to its occurrence. This will maximize the use of short connectivity and support delay-sensitive real-time applications.