Roaming encoded information reading terminal

A portable encoded information reading (EIR) terminal for incorporation in a data collection system having a plurality of interconnected networks, said EIR terminal associated with a home network having an associated address range, said home network being one of said plurality of networks, and said EIR terminal configured with wireless communication capability and said EIR terminal comprising:

• a central processing unit (CPU);
• a memory;
• coupled to a bus in communication with the CPU, the EIR device selected from the group consisting of:
• a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, and a card reading device, said EIR device configured to output message data, the message data comprising one or more of:
• decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message, or raw message data containing an encoded message to be processed by the CPU;
• wherein said EIR terminal registers a care-of address with:
• (i) a home agent having a home agent address and being in communication with said home network, or (ii) a foreign agent in communication with a foreign network other than the home network, by transmitting a registration request to the home agent or foreign agent, the registration request comprising the care-of address and an authentication extension for authenticating the EIR terminal to the home agent or foreign agent, wherein the authenticating facilitates preventing spoofing the EIR terminal;
• wherein said EIR terminal is configured, when roaming from a first network of said plurality of networks to a second network of said plurality of networks, to maintain an active communication session with a remote host computer using a home address belonging to said associated address range of said home network, the home address for addressing the EIR terminal when providing data of the active communication session across the first network and the second network;
• and the registration request as part of a registration request message, said registration request message including said home address and the care-of address, wherein data provided to the home address is routed to the EIR by way of the care-of address.