Congestion-aware proactive vertical handoff algorithm in heterogeneous wireless networks

In heterogeneous wireless networks, when a mobile host/handset (MH) with multiple wireless interfaces changes its location or requires a certain network service, the MH will require a switch between different wireless networks (namely vertical handoff). A congestion-aware proactive vertical handoff algorithm is proposed, which uses a data pre-deployment technology to realise soft handoff between cellular interface and ad hoc interface. Here, the vertical handoff algorithm is implemented in an experimental heterogeneous network structure called converged ad hoc and cellular network, which is an ad hoc overlay system considering the balancing of the traffic between adjacent cellular cells. By evaluations, it is shown that the proposed algorithm can realise low handoff delay and low packet losses, and help to ease congestion issue existing in the heterogeneous networks.