WiFi/WhiteFi handover: Signaling and performance

Abstract

With the increasing number of smart devices and handheld computers, mobile users should be provided with always-on connectivity. Many research works have addressed the problem of providing mobile users with a seamless handover to avoid losing connectivity while moving to uncovered areas or gaps among WiFi access points (AP). The criteria of choosing the target network to which to perform the handover are of great importance. In this regard, the access technology that uses the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, which is the unused TV spectrum characterized by lower frequencies and higher bandwidths, is considered to be the perfect choice for handover from WiFi due to its wide coverage area and low cost. This work will study the handover between WiFi and WhiteFi, which is a WiFi amendment to operate on TVWS. Different handover signaling schemes are presented and the handover performance is evaluated in terms of handover scanning delay. MIH (Media Independent Handover) protocol is used to reduce the scanning delay by communicating with the WhiteFi Registered Location Secure Server (RLSS). Handover performance study was conducted to evaluate the total handover delay in terms of available bandwidth, hops count and required signaling messages size.