GPS information assisted handoff mechanism in heterogeneous wireless networks

As integration of heterogeneous networks has become one of the most important characters for next-generation networks, it becomes a very challenging issue to ensure effective handoff when mobile node moves between different heterogeneous networks. In this paper we propose an effective handoff mechanism based on location information. By processing geographical data (consisting of information about mobile node movement and the coverage area of each point of attachment) acquired through GPS, mobile node´s next position will be predicted. The identification of the MN´s next access point in advance enables all the required parameters on the MN to be configured ahead of time, and this will reduce the handoff delay. The effective handoff mechanism proposed can improve handoff performance significantly.