Vertical Handoff Algorithm for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks Based on Scalar Kalman Filtering

Fourth generation standards will provide interoperability between different wireless access technologies. This will be partly enabled by Vertical Handoff (VHO) which ensures a continuation of service when the access technology is switched, e.g. from a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) to a Cellular Network (CN) and vice versa. In this paper, we propose a VHO decision algorithm based on scalar Kalman filtering. Criteria such as probability of false handoff, number and position of handoffs are used to evaluate and compare our work with existing handoff algorithms based on filtering techniques. Our algorithm is shown to limit by 40 percent, in a worst case scenario, the probability of false handoff when compared to other HO algorithms.