An Integrated Architecture for Seamless Soft Handoff in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

The multiplicity of existent wireless networks and technologies creates the need for techniques that can allow devices to automatically transit between the network landscapes. In Phase I, we have shown that our approach can deliver low packet loss, low latency, and smooth handoff solutions with minimum packet overhead. Further, our approach is resistant to node mobility thanks to the intelligent link management scheme. Our research on IEEE 802.21 shows that MIH (Media Independent Handover) may serve as a component in our integrated architecture, and our research will pioneer Ad-Hoc-MIH specifications. In Phase II, we will develop the proposed approach in a full-fledged manner by researching the unique challenges in routing imposed by multi-radio/multi-channel mobile devices, and investigating appropriate routing policies and metrics. During Phase II, we will also evaluate the interoperability of our framework with 802.21 MIH, and make technical contributions to the standard community. This Phase II will fully develop all the software managers and simulation platforms for performance evaluation purposes, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the solutions using physical experiments comparing the performance against current handoff schemes. In conclusion, our work represents the first complete solution that provides seamless handoff in ad hoc networks with minimum service disruption.