EVALUATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF MEDIA-INDEPENDENT HANDOVER IN HASTILY FORMED NETWORKS

• Main Author: Ferchichi, Khaled
• Other Authors: Xie, Geoffrey
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/32819

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === Hastily formed networks (HFNs) are deployed in the aftermath of a disaster. They are formed by people from different communities who work together in a shared conversation space. The network component of the shared conversation space is the backbone of the communication system. It can be created using technologies such as Ethernet, WiFi, and WiMAX. HFNs face huge challenges in the integration of mobile devices that will provide better mobility in the conversation space, especially with the fast proliferation of multimodal mobile devices that support many technologies. In this research we investigate if the integration of the Media Independent Handover (MIH) in HFNs can be an adequate solution for these problems. MIH could be the solution to not only the mobility and roaming problems but also for other HFN problems due to the intelligent layer-two functions it offers. We tried to combine MIH and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) protocol in order to provide HFN users with a better user experience especially during video and audio conversations. The research showed the limitations of MIH and its open source implementation (ODTONE). We were also able to describe the steps needed for the integration of SIP and MIH.