Mobile IP (MIP) Overview:
- Definition: Mobile IP is a standardized protocol that allows mobile devices (like smartphones, tablets, and laptops) to move between different IP networks while maintaining a consistent IP address.
- Purpose: MIP was developed to handle the challenges of mobility on the Internet. Traditional IP routing is based on a static IP address, which makes it unsuitable for devices that move across networks. MIP enables seamless roaming across networks without the need for reconfiguration.
- Components:
Home Agent (HA): Located in the user’s home network, it keeps track of the mobile node’s current location. It receives packets meant for the mobile device and forwards them to its current location.
Foreign Agent (FA): Resides in the visited network and provides routing services to the mobile device when it’s away from its home network.
Mobile Node (MN): The roaming device that moves between different IP networks.
- Process:
Agent Discovery: Mobile Node discovers available Home and Foreign Agents.
Registration: When MN moves to a new network, it registers its new location with its HA, often through the FA.
Tunneling: HA intercepts packets destined for the MN and tunnels them to the FA in the visited network, which then delivers the packets to the MN.
- Types:
MIPv4 (Mobile IP version 4): Original version for IPv4.
MIPv6 (Mobile IP version 6): Enhanced version for IPv6, which has inherent support for mobility, rendering some aspects of MIPv4 unnecessary.
- Benefits:
- Seamless mobility across different networks.
- No need for reconfiguring IP settings when moving across networks.
- Consistent IP address helps in maintaining ongoing sessions.
- Challenges:
- Latency due to the triangular route (communication first goes to the home network before reaching the MN).
- Potential security issues during registration.
- Needs support from both the home and visited networks.
- Applications: Used in situations where maintaining ongoing sessions during movement is crucial, such as in VoIP calls, video streaming, and vehicular communications.
While Mobile IP was an essential development for maintaining connectivity for moving devices, newer technologies and protocols have since emerged that address mobility more efficiently, especially with the advent of IPv6.