Mobile IP is a protocol that allows mobile device users to move between networks without changing their IP address. It uses a home address and care address to identify the user’s location and forward data. It is becoming increasingly important as more people use handheld devices for internet access.
Mobile IP is a communications protocol developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force. The design of this IETF protocol is configured to allow consumers using mobile communication devices to move from one network to another, without having to change their IP address. The Mobile IP feature allows Internet traffic to be forwarded to the mobile device even when the device is not connected to the home network.
The creation of Mobile IP meant a significant change in the way information ends up on the Internet. Typically, information routing depends on forwarding data to IP addresses that are considered fixed. With the advent of Mobile IP, everything has changed. Instead of basing termination on a fixed location associated with an IP address, the protocol involves delivering data to an IP address that may or may not currently be connected via the parent or home network.
However, assigning a home address on a home network is required to ground your mobile device. However, the addition of this protocol also allows the so-called care address to be established. This works essentially similar to forwarding snail mail when a homeowner will be out of town for an extended period of time. The care address is a temporary means of identifying the mobile user’s current location and associated IP address, then using the Internet to relay information to that temporary termination point. With each move to another network, the process assigns a new care address, just as a traveler moving from one city to another would establish a new physical forwarding address.
With more and more people using handheld devices to access the Internet and handle email, business correspondence and other functions that were once the responsibility of the desktop computer, Mobile IP is becoming increasingly important. Service providers continue to refine the process, making the use of Mobile IP more attractive to a wider range of customers.
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