Demo: WIFI-WiMax vertical handover on an ARM-FPGA platform with partial reconfiguration

Abstract

In recent wireless networks, end-nodes are capable of detecting the existence of multiple wireless standards. In this context, it becomes very interesting to design an on-line reconfigurable communication system controlled by a Vertical Handover Algorithm (VHA) that allows selecting the best available wireless standard. In this demo, we propose implementing the Partial Reconfiguration (PR) technique on a platform based on ARM-FPGA SoC device to apply vertical handover between two wireless communication standards; WIFI and Wimax. The demo simulates the mobility of an end-node in an WIFI-WiMax network on a GUI Interface connected to a ZedBoard. On the board, the VHA senses specific parameters and decides accordingly to reconfigure a unified chain before applying partial reconfiguration on the device.