Performance comparison and analysis on MIPv6, fast MIPv6 bi-casting and Eurecom IPv6 soft handover over IEEE802.11b WLANs

Mobile users are facing the fact that many heterogenous radio access technologies coexist, ranging from wireless LANs to cellular systems. No technology has emerged as common and universal solution which makes the current trends today toward design of All-IP wireless networks, where radio cells are under the control of IP Access Routers for signalling and data transmission. Mobile IPv4 has long been considered as the facto standard in providing IP mobility. However, as the demand of wireless mobile devices capable of executing real times applications increases, it has necessitated the development of better handoff techniques for providing reduced data loss, end to end transmission delays and Quality of services (QoS). In this paper we propose to evaluate, analyse and compare Eurecom IPv6-based soft-handover, IETF Fast-MIPv6-Bicasting handover and Basic MIPv6 handover over IEEE 802.11 radio networks. We show through simulations that Fast handover exploit Layer 2/3 interactions and data duplication to reduce the overall handoff latency and packet loss. On the other hand, it introduces more layer 3 control load. Comparatively, Eurecom IPv6 soft handover for mobile IP-device with multiples interface, suppress handover latency, data loss and it is more capable in reducing average End to End delays. We will identify the causes behind each handover performance and therefore device a set of guidelines in further development of adaptive-Handover-control algorithm across All-IP networks that guarantee different level of services for applications.