An Efficient Handoff Decision Algorithm for Vertical Handoff Between WWAN and WLAN

Vertical handoff is one significant challenge for mobility management inheterogeneous wireless networks. Compared with horizontal handoff,vertical handoff involves different wireless network technologiesvarying widely in terms of bandwidth, delay, coverage area, powerconsumption, etc. In this paper, we analyze the signal strength model ofmobile node and present a new vertical handoff decision algorithm. Thisalgorithm can adapt to the change of mobile node's velocity and improvethe handoff efficiency significantly. We analyze the algorithm'sperformance and the effect of different parameters on handofftriggering. In addition, we propose three performance evaluation modelsand verify the algorithm's feasibility and effectiveness in simulations.