Performance evaluation study on a multiple-parameter handoff algorithm

One of major objectives of the 4G wireless network architecture is to facilitate seamless mobility of users between heterogeneous networks while satisfying QoS requirements. The moment at which a user should switch from the current network to another where better resources can be provided is still a hot research topic. This work studies a new criterion for triggering the vertical handoff process. The suggested criterion is a collective one where the received signal strength (RSS), the available bandwidth and the type of running applications are all combined together to obtain a better decision. The goodness of the decision is measured against two metrics: the Wrong Decision Probability (WDP) and the Missing Handoff Probability (MHP). In this paper, we study three algorithms for handover using RUNE simulator where a detailed cellular wireless network is built under realistic channel and mobility assumptions. The simulation results confirm the superiority of the proposed approach.