IEEE 802.21-enabled ALIVE-HO for media streaming in heterogeneous wireless networks

The convergence of heterogeneous wireless access technologies is an intrinsic part of the long term evolution of wireless networks. This convergence creates network overlays in which achieving seamless and efficient roaming between different technologies, commonly known as vertical handoff (VHO), introduces several challenging design issues. The media independent handover standard (IEEE 802.21) enables information exchange across different layers to improve VHO performance. In this work, we present a framework for integrating an adaptive lifetime-based vertical handoff (ALIVE-HO) algorithm with IEEE 802.21. The proposed framework is implemented and the optimal design value of the application parameter of ALIVE-HO is experimentally determined for video streaming applications under different operating scenarios.