Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks: Growth and Survey for Three Layers

A vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a mobile ad hoc network that allows wireless communication between vehicles, as well as between vehicles and roadside equipment. Communication between vehicles promotes safety and reliability, and can be a source of entertainment. We investigated the historical development, characteristics, and application fields of VANET and briefly introduced them in this study. Advantages and disadvantages were discussed based on our analysis and comparison of various classes of MAC and routing protocols applied to VANET. Ideas and breakthrough directions for inter-vehicle communication designs were proposed based on the characteristics of VANET. This article also illustrates physical, MAC, and network layer in details which represent the three layers of VANET. The main works of the active research institute on VANET were introduced to help researchers track related advanced research achievements on the subject.