Tutorials » Other Wireless » V2V vs V2I: Vehicular Wireless Communication Tutorial

V2V vs V2I: Vehicular Wireless Communication Tutorial

vehicular communication wireless communication v2v v2i intelligent transport system

This tutorial explores vehicular wireless communication, specifically focusing on the differences between V2V and V2I, as well as C2C and C2I communication types.

V2V and V2I are standards for Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication, respectively. Similarly, C2C and C2I stand for Car-to-Car and Car-to-Infrastructure communication.

In essence, vehicular wireless communication involves two main types of interactions: communication directly between vehicles and communication between vehicles and roadside infrastructure. These interactions are crucial for creating Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

Vehicles will exchange information like speed, direction, location, and stability status with each other. Vehicular wireless communication typically uses a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) architecture. VANET (Vehicular Ad-hoc Network) is a subset of MANET.

V2V vs V2i type vehicular communication Fig:1 Vehicular Wireless Communication System architecture

V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) or C2C (Car to Car) Communication

V2V or C2C communication adheres to the ITS-G5 specifications. These specifications define the protocol stack, which includes the Physical and MAC layers.

The system operates within specific frequency bands in the 5.9 GHz range. Transceivers on different vehicles can send, capture, and re-transmit information.

ITS typeFrequency BandApplications/Usage
ITS-G5A5875 MHz to 5905 MHzITS road safety related
ITS-G5B5855 MHz to 5875 MHzITS non safety related
ITS-G5C5470 MHz to 5725 MHzRLAN (BRAN/WLAN)
ITS-G5D5905 MHz to 5925 MHzFuture ITS related

Key features of V2V or C2C communication systems include:

  • Based on WiFi (IEEE 802.11p specifications).
  • Supports bandwidths of 5/10/20 MHz.
  • Short-range communication (up to 300 meters).
  • Supports mesh-based architecture.

Besides WLAN 802.11p, other wireless standards like Bluetooth, Zigbee, and UWB can also be used for in-vehicle communication.

The vehicular wireless communication system consists of two main components:

  1. OBU (On-Board Unit) / OBE (On-Board Equipment)
  2. RSU (Roadside Unit) / RSE (Roadside Equipment)

V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure) or C2I (Car to Infrastructure) Communication

Various cellular technologies can be leveraged for V2I or C2I communication. Mobile WiMAX (16e), GSM, and LTE are often explored for this communication type.