A survey of handoff schemes for vehicular ad-hoc networks

Abstract

Vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) is a rapidly developing technology which supports vehicle-to-vehicle communications and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. With the two types of communication modes, users can access the Internet via some devices such as CAR PCs and PDAs. With the Internet connection, many value-added applications can be developed. However, Internet connection for VANETs faces a great challenge: the high mobility of vehicles results in frequent handoffs, which may cause significant packet delay and packet losses. This paper examines the necessary steps involved in a VANET handoff process and reviews some related studies in the literature that reduces the handoff time for VANETs.