A scalable wireless virtual LAN

This paper presents a Wireless Virtual Local Area Network (WVLAN) to support mobility in IP-over-ATM local area networks. Mobility is handled by a joint ATM-layer handoff for connection rerouting and MAC-layer handoff for location tracking, such that the effects of mobility are localized and transparent to the higher-layer protocols. Different functions, such as Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), mobile location, and ATM connection admission are combined to reduce protocol overhead and front-end delay for connectionless packet transmission in connection-oriented ATM networks. The proposed WVLAN, through the use of ATM technology, provides a scalable wireless virtual LAN solution for IP mobile hosts.