Measurement-Based Performance Evaluation of SmartRSUs with Heterogeneous Antenna Architectures for V2X Communications

2026-06-11

AI Summary

This study systematically evaluates the impact of antenna architecture on the performance of Smart Roadside Units (SmartRSUs) in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, with a focus on coverage range, signal strength, packet loss rate, and end-to-end latency. Through co-located controlled experiments, it compares an integrated all-in-one antenna configuration against an external dual ITS-G5 plus standalone GNSS antenna setup, using a commercial off-the-shelf RSU as the baseline. Leveraging a custom onboard unit (OBU) platform, IEEE 802.11p communication, GNSS positioning, and a controlled-variable methodology, this work presents the first empirical evidence of the reliability–latency trade-offs between integrated and external antenna deployments in real-world road scenarios. The findings demonstrate that antenna layout significantly affects communication performance, with the external configuration offering advantages under specific conditions, thereby providing critical design guidance for optimizing SmartRSU deployment in cooperative intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS).

Abstract

This paper presents a measurement-based performance evaluation of two custom Smart Roadside Units (SmartRSUs) featuring different V2X antenna architectures. The first configuration integrates GNSS and communication antennas into an all-in-one rooftop module, whereas the second uses external dual ITS-G5 (IEEE 802.11p) antennas operating at 5.9~GHz and a dedicated GNSS antenna. Both systems are built upon a proprietary On-Board Unit (OBU) platform adapted for infrastructure deployment. The experimental campaign evaluates key V2X communication metrics, including coverage, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), packet loss, and end-to-end latency in both transmission (OBU-to-infrastructure) and reception (infrastructure-to-OBU) directions. To ensure objective validation, a commercial off-the-shelf V2X Roadside Unit is co-located on the same infrastructure and used as a performance benchmark, providing ground-truth reference measurements under identical environmental conditions through a controlled co-located deployment. Results highlight the impact of antenna design and placement on communication reliability and latency, revealing trade-offs between integrated and external antenna configurations in real-world deployment scenarios. The findings provide practical insights for the design and optimization of next-generation SmartRSUs in cooperative intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS).

Problem

• SmartRSU
• V2X communications
• antenna architecture
• performance evaluation
• C-ITS

Innovation

• SmartRSU
• V2X antenna architecture
• measurement-based evaluation
• co-located benchmarking
• C-ITS