IEEE 802.11n vs. IEEE 802.15.4: A Study on Communication QoS to Provide Safe FANETs

Flying Ad hoc Network (FANET) is an infrastructure-less multi-hop radio ad hoc network in which Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Ground Control Station (GCS) collaborates to forward data traffic. Compared to the standard Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs), the FANET architecture has some specific features (3D mobility, low UAV density, intermittent network connectivity) that bring challenges to the communication protocol design. Such routing protocol must provide safety by finding an accurate and reliable route between UAVs. This safety can be obtained through the use of agile method during software based routing protocol development (for instance the use of Model Driven Development) by mapping each FANET safety requirement into the routing design process. This process must be completed with a sequential safety validation testing with formal verification tools, standardized simulator (by using real simulation environment) and real-world experiments. In this paper, we considered FANET communication safety by presenting design methodologies and evaluations of FANET routing protocols. We use the LARISSA architecture to guarantee the efficiency and accuracy of the whole system. We also use the model driven development methodology to provide model and code consistency through the use of formal verification tools. To complete the FANET safety validation, OMNeT++ simulations (using real UAVs mobility traces) and real FANET outdoor experiments have been carried out. We confront both results to evaluate routing protocol performances and conclude about its safety consideration.