Energy-aware network/interface selection and handover application for android-based mobile devices

Considering recent number of energy-hungry applications, large-screen mobile devices, fast processors, multiple hardware integrated network connectivity, high amount of data consumption and audio-video communication times, it is clear to say that high battery capacity is what users ask for. However, although processing power doubles roughly every two years, progress in battery technology did not even double in the last decade. In order to meet the ever growing demand, vendors can simply increase battery sizes of mobile devices or focus on novel energy-efficient hardware and software solutions. In this context, this paper1 proposes an energy-aware network/interface selection and handover application for Android based mobile devices. The proposed application computes and reports power consumption levels of each Point of Attachment in the vicinity for various web-applications (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Skype, etc.), making use of real packet measurements and realistic computations, and then enables stations to handover horizontally/vertically to optimize energy efficiency. Results of extensive tests clarify that the proposed scheme not only saves energy but also increases overall throughput and hence, provides a better service quality.