Enhanced schemes for L2 handover in IEEE 802.11 networks and their evaluations

Abstract:
Given the relatively limited coverage area of 802.11 access points, stations moving inside WLAN are often required to perform a handover. The time needed for a STA to switch from one AP to another is too long for real-time applications to continue operating seamlessly, even if no layer 3 handover is to occur ulteriorly. Many solutions have been proposed for improving the layer 2 handover latency, but we have observed a lack of performance analysis and comparison of the different algorithms. In this article we present two new schemes that aim to enhance L2 handover mechanisms. The main characteristic of these new methods is to reduce the discovery time. We then provide an evaluation of four algorithms in order to analyse and compare solutions in six different scenarios.