Mobility and Handoff Management in Wireless Networks

TL;DR

This paper discusses the challenges and solutions for mobility and handoff management in heterogeneous wireless networks, emphasizing IP-based schemes for seamless connectivity and service continuity.

Contribution

It presents a comprehensive overview of mobility management schemes and handoff mechanisms tailored for heterogeneous wireless environments, highlighting design issues and technological approaches.

Findings

Analysis of various handoff schemes for heterogeneous networks

Identification of key design issues in mobility management

Discussion of IP-based technologies enabling seamless roaming

Abstract

With the increasing demands for new data and real-time services, wireless networks should support calls with different traffic characteristics and different Quality of Service (QoS)guarantees. In addition, various wireless technologies and networks exist currently that can satisfy different needs and requirements of mobile users. Since these different wireless networks act as complementary to each other in terms of their capabilities and suitability for different applications, integration of these networks will enable the mobile users to be always connected to the best available access network depending on their requirements. This integration of heterogeneous networks will, however, lead to heterogeneities in access technologies and network protocols. To meet the requirements of mobile users under this heterogeneous environment, a common infrastructure to interconnect multiple access networks will be needed. In this chapter, the design issues of a number of mobility management schemes have been presented. Each of these schemes utilizes IP-based technologies to enable efficient roaming in heterogeneous network. Efficient handoff mechanisms are essential for ensuring seamless connectivity and uninterrupted service delivery. A number of handoff schemes in a heterogeneous networking environment are also presented in this chapter.