Evaluating the reliability of network simulator during Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi horizontal Handover simulation

In broadband wireless access network, continuous high speed data communication can be provided to mobile subscribers by well designed mobility management, where handover is a key element in maintaining air link to base station even in high velocity. When a mobile station changes its geographical position, it may also need to change its attachment point in the network in order to retain the quality of the connection. Currently, the mobility of a terminal is a requirement of great importance, supported by a procedure known as handover. Horizontal Handover (HHO) is a symmetric process and happens within the same technology e.g between different Wi-Fi cells. When a user leaves from one Wi-Fi network and enters into another Wi-Fi network, in order to allow users to use the services, the handover mechanism will be used. This paper is an attempt to evaluate the reliability and scalability of the network simulator-2 (ns-2) tool in simulating multiple horizontal Handovers between different Wi-Fi Access Points (APs). This experiment can be used for academic purpose to help students understand the concept of handover.