A Key Caching Mechanism for Reducing WiMAX Authentication Cost in Handoff

The IEEE 802.1X is utilized in mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) authentication. This procedure incurs a long delay in WiMAX handoff. To resolve this issue, this paper proposes a key caching mechanism to eliminate the nonnecessary IEEE 802.1X authentication cost in WiMAX handoff. This mechanism is investigated through analytic and simulation modeling. Our study indicates that the key caching scheme can effectively speed up the handoff process.