🤖 AI Summary
To bridge the performance gap between simulation-based evaluation and real-world VANET deployments, this paper presents the first systematic validation of low-cost, off-the-shelf hardware—specifically Raspberry Pi paired with USB Wi-Fi adapters—for supporting core VANET functionalities in realistic vehicular mobility scenarios. Leveraging a Linux-based embedded platform, we implement IEEE 802.11p channel bonding, a customized MAC-layer simulator, the OLSR routing protocol, and joint GPS/IMU-based motion modeling. Experimental results under urban driving conditions (30–60 km/h) demonstrate an end-to-end message delivery ratio of 78% and an average latency below 1.2 seconds. This work challenges the conventional reliance on proprietary onboard units (OBUs), empirically confirming that lightweight commercial hardware can enable practical, small-to-medium-scale urban VANET deployments. It thus establishes a novel, cost-effective, and scalable paradigm for empirical VANET research and field experimentation.