Abstract: A method of triggering a network handover controlled by a communications device in a communications system comprising a plurality of networks with which the communications device can perform a handover operation to, the method comprising the steps of: determining a signal characteristic of each available candidate network in said communications system; forecasting a future value of said signal characteristic; determining a future handover margin for said signal characteristic of the network connection established by said communications device; determining if another available candidate network signal characteristic exceeds said handover margin at a future time, and if so, performing a handover operation to said other available candidate network, wherein said future handover margin for said signal characteristic is varied dynamically in dependence on said forecasted signal characteristic.

Abstract: A method allocates transmission channels to transmit nodes in a wireless network, the network comprising receive nodes and respective transmit nodes. Each receive node receives a data signal from its respective transmit node and is subject to interference from other transmission from other transmit nodes. The method includes: (i) determining the communication link gain of a data signal transmitted via each of communication paths; (ii) for each of the receive nodes, forming a set of the transmit nodes from which the receive node can tolerate interfering transmissions, (iii) collecting the formed set of transmit nodes from step (ii) for each receive node, and using the formed sets to generate a preferred set of transmit node and receive node pairs; and (iv) allocating a communication channel to the transmit nodes contained in the preferred set.

Abstract: An improved method of selecting a channel in an ad hoc wireless network in which each node using a given channel periodically evaluates the transmission power against a power threshold to ensure that the signal to interference and noise ratio at each node is acceptable.

Abstract: A method of triggering a network handover controlled by a communications device in a communications system comprising a plurality of networks with which the communications device can perform a handover operation to, the method comprising the steps of: determining a signal characteristic of each available candidate network in said communications system; forecasting a future value of said signal characteristic; determining a future handover margin for said signal characteristic of the network connection established by said communications device; determining if another available candidate network signal characteristic exceeds said handover margin at a future time, and if so, performing a handover operation to said other available candidate network, wherein said future handover margin for said signal characteristic is varied dynamically in dependence on said forecasted signal characteristic.

Abstract: A method for allocating transmission channels to transmit nodes in a wireless network, the network comprising a plurality of receive nodes and a plurality of transmit nodes wherein each receive node is arranged in a transmitter-receiver pair with a respective transmit node, and each of the receive nodes is arranged to receive data signal transmitted from its respective transmit node of the transmitter-receiver pair via a first communication path and is subject to interference when other transmit nodes transmit data signals to their respective receive nodes via other communication paths, the method comprising: (i) determining the communication link gain of a data signal transmitted via each of the communication paths; (ii) for each of the receive nodes, forming a set of the transmit nodes from which the receive node can tolerate interfering transmissions by determining the maximum number of said others of the transmit nodes for which the sum of the interfering communication link gains of the other communicatio

Abstract: A wireless node (n5) can control its admission as an incoming node to a network in which communication takes place between nodes (n1, n2, n3 etc) over wireless links (m). The incoming node (n5) monitors transmissions of transmitter nodes in the network to provide location data corresponding to their respective locations. The node (n5) has a controller (7) that develops simulated location data corresponding to the locations of receiver nodes in the network using the location data for the transmitter nodes. The controller constructs a link gain matrix using the location data for the transmitter nodes and the simulated location data for the receiver nodes, and processes the matrix to compute the maximum achievable value of the signal to interference relationship (SIR) for the network when the incoming is assumed to have joined the network, and the incoming node is admitted to the network if the maximum value exceeds a threshold.