Route Lifetime Based Optimal Hop Selection in VANETs on Highway: An Analytical Viewpoint

We consider the problem of optimal next-hop selection in a route between two vehicles, for a simple scenario of Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) on a highway. For a given approximation of the optimal number of hops, we seek the optimal choice of next-hop based on its speed and inter-node distances, so as to maximize the expected route lifetime. Under a Markovian assumption on the process of speed of nodes, we show that the optimal choice of speeds attempts to equalize the lifetimes of adjacent links. A monotone variation property of the speed of relay nodes under the optimal policy is proved. These properties have been confirmed with simulations. The optimal policies and their structures can assist in enhancing the performance of existing VANET routing protocols.