P-AOMDV: An improved routing protocol for V2V communication based on public transport backbones

ABSTRACT The Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks consider the vehicle‐to‐vehicle communication to provide safety and entertainment to their users. Vehicle‐to‐vehicle networks are self‐organized and self‐managed mobile networks with decentralized control, being independent of fixed infrastructures. These networks are also characterized by the high mobility of nodes (vehicles), the scarce or unbalanced traffic, and the restrictions imposed by the roads. Such characteristics imply lack of connectivity and low performance of the protocols. Many studies claim that the use of fixed infrastructure with classic routing protocols may provide connectivity and allow the use of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks. Meanwhile, the associated costs are too high, which make them unable most of the times. A way to overcome these problems is to deploy a reliable infrastructure that will bear the routing protocol out. This paper proposes the construction of a new routing protocol, named Priority Ad Hoc On‐demand Multipath Distance Vector (P‐AOMDV), which has the capability of acting together with a mobile backbone formed by public transport buses (MOB‐NET) and, consequently, to minimize the effects of the lack of connectivity and to improve network performance. The P‐AOMDV can discover many routes between source and destination, allowing the nodes to have a broad vision of the network, being able to take routing decisions considering metrics that are not limited to the number of hops. Simulation experiments have shown that the pair P‐AOMDV/MOB‐NET can improve metrics like packet delivery ratio (PDR) and active route ratio (ARR) and, at the same time, minimize problems due to route breakage and route unavailability. This paper has presented the P‐AOMDV, a new routing protocol that, together with the mobile ad hoc data network, is able to minimize the effects of low connectivity and to enhance the network performance. Network simulations, performed with the NS‐2 software, have shown that the pair P‐AOMDV/MOB‐NET raises the delivery rate and the active route rate, and also reduces the route breakage and the packet loss by unavailable routes, even in places with remarkable lack of connectivity.