Seamless Handover in Hybrid VLC and WiFi Network: A Testbed Scenario

Abstract

In response to the growing demand for wireless communication in high-density environments, Visible Light Communication (VLC) has emerged as a promising complement to Radio Frequency (RF) communication. VLC technology utilizes light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to enable high-speed data transmission, while also providing illumination. In this paper, we propose a hybrid VLC/RF network with multiple VLC access points (APs) under a single WiFi AP. However, frequent handovers are typically required as users move within the network, leading to significant overhead and reducing throughput. To address this issue, we propose an intelligent handover solution based on fuzzy logic (FL) that leverages machine learning algorithms and considers received signal strength indicator (RSSI), channel state information (CSI), and user mobility to enhance handover decisions. We aim to develop a seamless and robust mechanism for horizontal handover (HHO) and vertical handover (VHO) in hybrid VLC/WiFi networks, which we implement in our testbed. Our experiments demonstrate that our proposed approach can achieve maximum handover times at 100ms and 400ms for HHO and VHO, respectively. We have fine-tuned different decision-making models, such as an AdaBoost C4.5 model, which can achieve up to 97.5% accuracy