Performance of handovers between NEMO and mobile Ad Hoc networks using buffering

A MANEMO node is an IP-based mobile node that has interface attachments to both a mobile network, using Network Mobility (NEMO), and a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET). While communicating with a correspondent node in the Internet, the MANEMO node should use the best possible path. Therefore as conditions change, a handover between NEMO and MANET is desirable. This paper describes the operation of a MANEMO handover when IEEE 802.11 is used. An analytical model illustrates that packet loss during a MANEMO handover may severely affect data and real-time applications. We therefore propose using buffering during the handover, by making use of the Power Save Mode in IEEE 802.11. In the proposed algorithm, a MANEMO node may rapidly switch between the two interfaces, eventually receiving packets delivered via the old network interface while initiating the Mobile IP/NEMO handover on the new interface. Performance results show that packet loss can be significantly reduced, with small and acceptable increases in signalling overhead and end-to-end delay.