Mobile device handoff while maintaining connectivity with multiple access points
View Patent ↗A method, system, and computer-readable media are provided for allowing a mobile device to maintain communication connectivity during a handoff between wireless access points. In one aspect, the method may include negotiating security association information and establishing a first communication tunnel by tunneling an inner IP address within a first outer IP address. The method may further include authenticating a request for establishing a second communication tunnel by identifying the negotiated security association information within the request. Additionally, the method may include establishing the second communication tunnel by tunneling the inner IP address within a second outer IP address. Moreover, the method may include pushing data associated with the communication session through the second communication tunnel.
1. A mobile device, comprising:
a network interface card comprising a first software module and a second software module;
a first outer internet protocol (IP) address assigned by a first wireless access point (WAP) in response to a request for a communication session from the mobile device;
a second outer IP address assigned by a second WAP;
an inner IP address tunneled within the first outer IP address from the first software module to a routing device, and the inner IP address tunneled within the second outer IP address from the second software module to the routing device; and
a multiplexor to multiplex utilization of the network interface card between the first software module and the second software module during a handoff of the mobile device from the first WAP to the second WAP.
2. The mobile device of claim 1 , further comprising: IP security keys negotiated by the mobile device and the routing device.
3. The mobile device of claim 2 , wherein the first outer IP address forms a first encrypted communication tunnel.
4. The mobile device of claim 3 , wherein the second outer IP address forms a second encrypted communication tunnel.
5. The mobile device of claim 4 , wherein the first encrypted communication tunnel is disabled after a data packet of the communication session is received through the second encrypted communication tunnel.
6. The mobile device of claim 2 , wherein the mobile device maintains two connections with the first WAP and the second WAP during the multiplexing.
7. The mobile device of claim 2 , further comprising: an application to communicate to one or more target devices.
8. The mobile device of claim 2 , wherein the inner IP address is assigned by the routing device.
9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of maintaining a communication session of a mobile device during handoff, the method comprising:
creating a first encrypted tunnel to a routing device via a first outer internet protocol (IP) address received from a first wireless access point (WAP);
creating a second encrypted tunnel to the routing device via a second outer IP address received from a second WAP;
tunneling an inner IP address through the first outer IP address and through the second outer IP address; and
simultaneously multiplexing data communication between a first software module associated with the first outer IP address and a second software module associated with the second outer IP address until the handoff of the mobile device from the first WAP to the second WAP is completed.
10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the first software module comprises a logical wireless interface with the first WAP.
11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the second software module comprises a logical wireless interface with the second WAP.
12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the tunneling creates the first encrypted tunnel within the first outer IP address and the second encrypted tunnel within the second outer IP address, the tunneling to connect with the routing device.
13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the simultaneously multiplexing occurs via a network interface card comprising the first software module and the second software module.
14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the simultaneously multiplexing is disabled when a data packet of the communication session is received through the second encrypted tunnel.
15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the inner IP address is not associated with either the first WAP or the second WAP.
16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9 , wherein the inner IP address is used for communication and to maintain connectivity of the communication session.
17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon, that when executed by a computing device, perform a method of maintaining a communication session during handoff, the method comprising:
obtaining a first internet protocol (IP) address to connect a mobile device to a first wireless access point (WAP);
moving from a coverage area of the first WAP towards a coverage area of a second WAP;
obtaining a second IP address to connect the mobile device to the second WAP;
tunneling an inner IP address through the first IP address to form a first encrypted communication tunnel; and
tunneling the inner IP address through the second IP address to form a second encrypted communication tunnel, wherein connectivity of the communication session is maintained via the inner IP address until the handoff of the mobile device from the first WAP to the second WAP is completed.
18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , further comprising: multiplexing data communication between a first software module of the first IP address and a second software module of the second IP address until the handoff is completed.
19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 , wherein the multiplexing is disabled when the handoff is completed.
20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 , wherein the multiplexing provides communication of the mobile device with both the first WAP and the second WAP via a single network interface card.