Capacity Deficit and Link Loss in WLAN to Cellular Vertical Handoff

Abstract

Mobile handset manufacturers have begun to include wireless LAN (WLAN) interfaces in their cellular handsets. This allows users to access WLAN networks when they are available and to revert to conventional cellular communications otherwise. In this way the handset can dynamically use the "best" available network, by switching connections between the two network interfaces. This switching is referred to as a vertical handoff (VHO). When handling real-time connections, handsets must be capable of performing a seamless vertical handoff. This occurs when the interface switching does not disrupt the quality of service requirements of the active connections. Vertical handoffs are generally time consuming, and this delay creates a difficult problem since WLAN coverage can be lost very abruptly. In this thesis, we propose and investigate several methods of mitigating this problem. A solution based on using a Vertical Handoff Support Node (VHSN) is proposed. When the WLAN link is lost, the VHSN is able to quickly redirect packets through the local cellular base-station during the time that handoff is taking place. This approach can eliminate VHO link loss. It is shown that the act of WLAN-to-cellular handoff can result in a severe bandwidth deficit problem on the WLAN. A novel bandwidth reservation and securing mechanism is proposed which overcomes this problem and performs significantly better than schemes based on modified versions of the static guard channel scheme used in cellular networks. The work is characterized by simulation and analytic models which investigate the key performance aspects of this type of system.