Secure cognitive mobile hotspot

The paper presents a novel consumer device that acts as a cognitive mobile hotspot to provide ubiquitous secure wireless WAN and LAN connectivity while on the move. The mobile hotspot acts as a gateway and integrates VHF/UHF radios with multiple wireless WAN and LAN technologies. The device supports GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA2000 and WiMAX as WAN interfaces for long range communication and 802.11, Bluetooth and VHF/UHF interfaces for short range communication. The cognitive controller in the device seamlessly switches the WAN interfaces to provide optimum connectivity and Quality of Service parameters to the LAN devices and VHF/UHF radio links. In applications where nodes are fully mobile, the cognitive mobile hotspot acts a centroid by adjusting its position dynamically and provides a complete mobile backbone for optimum connectivity to mobile devices in a heterogeneous environment. The unique device opens a new paradigm of mobile backbone and seamless switching between multiple wireless broadband technologies and integration of wireless LAN and VHF/UHF interfaces. The device finds applications in vehicle area networks, mobile branch offices, mobile healthcare, media & broadcasting, sporting competitions, trade fairs, exhibitions and mission critical applications like flood relief operations and disaster recovery.