Comparative performance evaluation of idle mode location management schemes for IEEE 802.16j multihop relay networks

ABSTRACT IEEE 802.16 WiMAX is a promising technology to provide broadband wireless networking access. IEEE 802.16j Mobile Multihop Relay standard introduces multihop relaying to WiMAX system. Relay stations are used to extended network coverage and enhance system throughput. To reduce power consumption, an idle mode MS does not send location update messages while moving across cell borders. Paging mechanism is needed to wake up an idle mode MS. In the 802.16j multihop relay network, we investigate the performance of several location management schemes. In timer based scheme, an idle mode MS updates when the timer expires. In the paging area based scheme, an idle mode MS updates when moving to a new paging area. In the hybrid scheme, the paging area is recalculated when timer expires. An idle mode updates when it moves across the border of the MS-centric paging area. In this paper, comparative performance evaluation is conducted for these location management schemes with different IEEE 802.16j paging area topologies.