Handover in VLC networks with coordinated multipoint transmission

Abstract

In this work, we consider a cellular visible light communication (VLC) network where each ceiling luminary serves as an access point (AP). The network is assumed to support coordinated multipoint transmission (CoMP). The user is mainly served by an AP (i.e., luminary) from which he/she gets the strongest signal. When the user moves towards the cell edge, the received signal from the served AP drops. Based on the handover algorithm decision, a handover to another AP can take place or CoMP is initiated. In the case of CoMP, the user is jointly served by two coordinating APs that transmit the same information. We compare the performance of proposed joint transmission-handover algorithm with conventional hard handover and demonstrate significant performance gains in terms of user data rate.