2.0PFMay 28
Demystifying VEINS: A Reality Check Against Living Lab ExperimentsAntonio Solida, Giovanni Gambigliani Zoccoli, Gaetano Orazio Cauchi et al.
Safety applications in vehicle-to-everything communications and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems rely on reliable and timely message exchange, which in turn depends on accurate modeling of wireless signal propagation. Simulation frameworks such as VEINS are widely adopted to design and evaluate such systems before deployment; however, their realism strongly depends on the validity of the underlying channel and antenna models. This work presents an empirical validation of the VEINS simulator against real-world data collected from the MASA living laboratory. Using the default configuration, we compare Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), number of messages, and attenuation of the signal. The results show that VEINS systematically overestimates the RSSI value, while losing approximately 18% of the total number of messages received compared to the MASA, revealing inconsistencies between simulation and reality. The contribution of this study is a direct comparison between simulated and real world data, establishing a quantitative basis for future calibration of VEINS parameters to improve the fidelity of VANET simulations in C-ITS safety research.
7.3NIJun 11
Experimental Insights into UDP-Based Video and Control Traffic over IEEE 802.11p ITS-G5Antonio Solida, Gaetano Orazio Cauchi, Salvatore Iandolo et al.
Vehicular applications such as cooperative driving, teleoperation, and real-time perception increasingly rely on low-latency wireless communication. In this context, ITS-G5, based on IEEE 802.11p, represents a key technology for enabling direct vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. Despite its relevance, experimental studies focusing on the performance of UDP-based traffic over IEEE 802.11p under realistic conditions remain limited. This paper presents an experimental evaluation of UDP transmission over an IEEE 802.11p ITS-G5 testbed composed of Raspberry Pi-based onboard units and commercial roadside units. The analysis investigates the impact of different modulation and coding schemes (MCS). It also evaluates two network-layer configurations (IPv4 unicast and IPv6 multicast) and the use of CAKE for active queue management. In addition to synthetic traffic generated with iPerf, the evaluation includes real-time video streaming using MPEG-TS over UDP to emulate latency-sensitive vehicular applications. Results show that the modulation scheme is the dominant factor influencing latency at low traffic loads, while the choice of transmission mode and IP version becomes increasingly significant under congested conditions. Higher-order modulations significantly reduce latency and variability, whereas IPv6 multicast exhibits greater delay dispersion than IPv4 unicast. Furthermore, active queue management does not seem to improve delay predictability. These findings provide practical insights for configuring ITS-G5 networks supporting latency-sensitive vehicular services.
6.5NIJun 11
Feasibility Assessment of Remote Driving via Latency Analysis of ITS-G5 and Cellular Networks in the MASA Living LabGaetano Orazio Cauchi, Antonio Solida, Salvatore Iandolo et al.
Remote driving has gained increasing attention as a key enabler for connected and automated vehicles. Yet its practical deployment hinges on wireless networks' ability to guarantee low, predictable latency. In this paper, we present an extensive latency analysis of ITS-G5 and cellular (5G) technologies within the Modena Automotive Smart Area (MASA), a real-world, city-scale testbed equipped with a distributed intelligent transportation infrastructure. By conducting controlled experiments under varying network loads and traffic conditions, we measure network and end-to-end latency components relevant to remote driving, in which the uplink consists of a continuous video stream transmitted from the vehicle to the remote operator, and the downlink conveys control commands back to the car. Measurements conducted under diverse conditions reveal how latency and variability differ across the two technologies and how infrastructure coverage impacts video-stream transmission performance. Based on the observed latency distributions and reliability metrics, we assess the practical feasibility and safety margins of remote driving in mixed network environments. The results provide actionable insights for future teleoperation deployments and motivate hybrid communication strategies that combine the strengths of ITS-G5 and cellular networks.