Difference Between

Hard handoff Soft handoff

1. Old connection is broken before 1. New connection is activated
a new connection is activated. before the old is broken.
2. "break before make" connection 2. "make-before-break"
connection.
3. In Mobile communication that 3. The ability to select between the
assigned different radio channels instantaneous received signals
during a hand off, spread from a variety of base stations is
spectrum mobiles share the same called Soft Hand Off.
channel in every cell is called
Hard Hand off
4. A handover that requires a 4. Soft handover can be used when
change of the carrier frequency cells operated on the same
is always performed as hard frequency are changed.
handover.
5. Only one radio links can be 5. Several radio links are active at
active at the same time. the same time.
6. hard handoff it can be rough on 6. In a soft handoff, the cell is
the network because the allowed to cycle, find that better
subscriber is just pushed on that tower and then be pulled into the
tower tower.
7. Hard handover can be seamless 7. Gives seamless connectivity to a
or non-seamless. Mobile station.
8. Primarily used in FDMA and 8. Used in UMTS to improve the
TDMA systems signal quality
9. Cell frequency before and after 9. Cell frequency before and after
handover will be same or handover will be same.
different.
10. Service interruption due to 10. No service interruption due to
handover. handover
11. Intra Cell Handover. 11. Macro Diversity Handover
Inter Cell Handover. (MDHO).
2.2. Fast Base Station Switching
(FBSS)
 Analog Digital
Signal: Analog signal is a Digital signals are discrete
continuous signal which time signals generated by
represents physical digital modulation.
measurements.
Waves: Denoted by sine waves Denoted by square waves
Representation: Uses continuous range Uses discrete or
of values to represent discontinuous values to
information represent information
Example: Human voice in air, Computers, CDs, DVDs,
analogelectronic devices. and other digital electronic
devices.
Signal: continuous electromagnetic sequence of voltage pulses
waves
Used mainly internally
Used mainly for within computers.
transmitting data across a
network.
Data: Continuous Discrete
Technology: Analog technology records Samples analog waveforms
waveforms as they are. into a limited set of
numbers and records them.
Data Subjected to deterioration Can be noise-immune
transmissions: by noise during without deterioration
transmission and write/read during transmission and
cycle. write/read cycle.
Response to More likely to get affected Less affected since noise
Noise: reducing accuracy response are analog in
nature
Flexibility: Analog hardware is not Digital hardware is flexible
flexible. in implementation.
Uses: Can be used in analog Best suited for Computing
devices only. Best suited and digital electronics.
for audio and video
transmission.
Applications: Thermometer PCs, PDAs
Bandwidth: Analog signal processing There is no guarantee that
can be done in real digital signal processing
time and consumes can be done inreal time and
less bandwidth. consumes
 morebandwidth to carry out
the same information.
Memory: Stored in the form of wave Stored in the
signal form of binary bit
Power: Analog instrument draws Digital instrument drawS
large power only negligible power
Cost: Low cost and portable Cost is high and not easily
portable
Impedance: Low High order of 100
megaohm
Errors: Analog instruments usually Digital instruments are free
have a scale which is from observational errors
cramped at lower end and like parallax and
give considerable approximation errors.
observational errors.

FDMA TDMA

FDMA stand for frequency division TDMA stand for time division multiple
multiple access. access.

The FDMA (frequency division multiple

access) is not required
synchronization. It is required synchronization.

It has less power efficiency. It has more power efficiency.

It requires high carrier frequency The high carrier frequency is not

stability. necessary.

It has divide frequency band into It has divided the time into non
disjoint subband. overlapping time slot.

Its Entire band of frequencies is Its entire bandwidth is shared among

divided into multiple RF different subscribers at fixed
channels/carriers. Each carrier is predetermined or dynamically assigned
allocated to different users. time intervals/slots.

It has continuous transmission

scheme. It discontinuous transmission scheme.

It is used in advanced mobile phone

It used in GSM and PDC. systems (AMPS).
FHSS DSSS

FH systems use a radio carrier that “hops” from DS systems use a carrier that
frequency to frequency in a pattern known to both remains fixed to a specific
transmitter and receiver frequency band.

A broad slice of the bandwidth, The data signal is spread onto

Spectrum is divided into many possible broadcast a much larger range of
frequencies. frequencies (at a much lower
power level) using a specific
encoding scheme.

Frequencies are randomize Frequency is constant

Data is constant Data are randomize

Resistance to noise Less resistant to noise

Limited throughput (2-3 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz) Much higher throughput than
FH (11 Mbps)

System generate wideband signals controlled by Syestem,generate wideband

commanding the carrier frequency,(frequency signals controlled by the code
hopping) is direct carrier,modeulation
(direct sequence)

Frequency-hopping devices use less power and are Performance of DS-CDMA

cheaper systems is usually,better and
more reliable.

FHSS are significantly less sensitive to Though bandwidth efficiency

Bluetooth interference. decreases; reliability, integrity
and security increase.

FHSS systems operate with SNR (Signal to Noise DSSS systems, because of the
Ratio) of about 18 dB more efficient modulation
technique used (PSK), can
operate with SNR as low as 12
dB

FHSS spreads the signal by hopping from one DSSS spreads the signal by
frequency to another across a bandwidth of 83 adding redundant bits to the
Mhz. signal prior to transmission
which spreads the signal
across 22 Mhz
FHSS DSSS

To some other receiver, FHSS appears to be a To,some other receiver, DSSS

short-duration impulse noise. Thus, the data appears as low-power,
security increases wideband noise and is,rejected.

Piconet Scatternet

In this bluetooth network, device can In this bluetooth network, device can
function either as master or slave. function as master or slave or
(master+slave)
It serves smaller coverage area. It serves larger coverage area.

It supports maximum 8 nodes. It supports more than 8 nodes.

It allows less efficient use of available It allows more efficient use of available
bluetooth channel bandwidth. bluetooth channel bandwidth.

Scatternet (master=red, slave=green,

parking=blue)
 GSM CDMA
S.no
1 The GSM is based on wedge The CDMA is based on spread spectrum
spectrum called a carrier. technology.

2 This carrier is divided into time This technology allows each user to transmit
slots, and each user is assigned over the entire frequency spectrum all the
a different time slot. Thus, until time.
the ongoing call is finished, no
other user can access the same
slot.
3 Less security compared to CDMA More security is provided in CDMA
technology. technology.

4 No built-in encryption. It has built-in encryption

5 Signals can be detected as the The signals cannot be detected easily in
GSM signals are concentrated in CDMA.
the narrow bandwidth.
6 The GSM network operates in the The CDMA network operates in the
frequency spectrum of 850MHz frequency spectrum of 850MHz and
and 1900MHz. 1900MHz.

7 GSM is used over 80% of the CDMA is exclusively used in the United
world’s mobile network. States, Canada and Japan.

8 GSM uses EDGE data transfer CDMA has faster data transfer as EVDO
technology. ready data transfer technology is used

9 It offers a maximum download It offers a maximum download speed of 2

speed of 384 Kbps. Mbps.

10 A SIM card is required for the CDMA phones do not have these pulses.
working of GSM device.

11 A GSM is more flexible than A CDMA is not flexible.

CDMA as the SIM can be
replaced with other GSM devices.
12 GSM phones emit continuous CDMA phones do not have these pulses.
wave pulse. Thus, there is a need
to reduce the exposures to
electromagnetic fields.

13 GSM phone emits about 28 times Very less radiation

more radiations on an average as
compared to CDMA.
 Parameters 1G 2G 3G 4G
Image

Name 1st Generation 2nd Generation 3rd Generation 4th Generation

Mobile Network Mobile Network Mobile Network Mobile Network
Introduced in year 1980s 1993 2001 2009
Location of first USA Finland Japan South Korea
commercialization
Technology AMPS (Advanced IS-95, GSM IMT2000, LTE, WiMAX
Mobile Phone WCDMA
System), NMT, TACS
Multiple FDMA TDMA, CDMA CDMA CDMA
Address/Access
system
Switching type Circuit switching Circuit Packet switching Packet switching
switching for except for Air
Voice and Interface
Packet switching
for Data
Speed (data rates) 2.4 Kbps to 14.4 14.4 Kbps 3.1 Mbps 100 Mbps
kbps
Special First wireless Digital version Digital Very high speeds,
Characteristic communication of 1G technology broadband, speed All IP
increments
Features Voice only Multiple users Multimedia High Speed, real
on single features, Video time streaming
channel Call
Supports Voice only Voice and Data Voice and Data Voice and Data
Internet service No Internet Narrowband Broadband Ultra Broadband
Bandwidth Analog 25 MHz 25 MHz 100 MHz
Operating 800 MHz GSM: 900MHZ, 2100 MHz 850 MHz, 1800
frequencies 1800MHz MHz
CDMA:
800MHz
Band (Frequency) Narrow band Narrow band Wide band Ultra Wide Band
type
Carrier frequency 30 KHZ 200 KHz 5 MHz 15 MHz
Advantage Simpler (less Multimedia High security, Speed, High
complex) network features (SMS, international speed handoffs,
elements MMS), Internet roaming MIMO
access and SIM technology,
introduced Global mobility
Disadvantages Limited capacity, not Low network High power Hard to
secure, poor battery range, slow data consumption, implement,
life, large phone size, rates Low network complicated
background coverage, High hardware
interference cost of spectrum required
licence
Applications Voice Calls Voice calls, Video High speed
Short messages, conferencing, applications,
browsing mobile TV, GPS mobile TV,
(partial) Wearable devices