A method of data transfer control during handoffs in mobile-IP based multimedia networks

ABSTRACT

Applications that require untethered access, in real-time, to multimedia information sources are made possible by mobile multimedia networks. These include support for decision makers in the field, crisis management and response, law enforcement, etc. The multimedia applications demand constant and continuous flow of data from the integrated sources. So, the network should support continuous transfer of information to the mobile hosts. However, the handoffs initiated by the mobile hosts will not allow continuous data transfer and thus some data is lost during handoff. In case of real-time multimedia applications like Video-on-Demand(VoD), it is essential to consider the data transfer control during the handoffs to provide a reliable service to the mobile hosts.We propose a mechanism to maintain the continuity of data transfer during handoffs in mobile-IP environments and minimizes the data loss during the period. This method performs efficient buffering of the data at the Base-station by using toggled buffers and enables to calculate optimal playout time for multimedia applications. The method has been tested on in-house wired/wireless networks. The results of this method showed enormous improvement in the continuity of data transfer during multiple handoffs while running multimedia applications such as video-on-demand(VoD) and Audio-on-demand(AoD).

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