A mobile communications device for a wireless local area network, WLAN, comprising: means for establishing a network connection,wherein the network connection is a connection with a server through a base access point, which is an access point transmitting the strongest beacon in the WLAN as received by the mobile communications device; means for accessing a database from the mobile communications device, the database having service quality information for a plurality of access points in the WLAN, wherein the service quality information includes quality metrics relating to the network connection through each access point of the WLAN; means for computing a quality metric in a forward direction, relating to the network connection, wherein the forward direction refers to transmissions from the server to the mobile communications device; means for updating the service quality information in the database, wherein the service quality information is caused to change with time by quality metric updates from all mobile devices using the base and candidate access points; means for monitoring, for the base access point and candidate access points, service quality information; means for measuring a varying signal strength of beacons transmitted by the base access point and candidate access points as a user roams through the WLAN; and means for determining whether to handoff the mobile communications device from the base access point to one of the candidate access points and basing a handoff decision on beacon measurements and the service quality information for the base and candidate access points, wherein the means for determining further comprises means for determining whether a candidate access point has the strongest beacon, as received by the mobile communications device, as compared to the base access point; and means for determining, if the candidate access point has the strongest beacon, as determined by the mobile communication device, whether to handoff the mobile communications device from the base access point to the strongest candidate access point based on the relative quality of the network connection between the base and the strongest candidate access point, wherein the quality metrics for the strongest candidate access point are compared with the same quality metrics for the base access point. means for establishing a network connection,wherein the network connection is a connection with a server through a base access point, which is an access point transmitting the strongest beacon in the WLAN as received by the mobile communications device; means for accessing a database from the mobile communications device, the database having service quality information for a plurality of access points in the WLAN, wherein the service quality information includes quality metrics relating to the network connection through each access point of the WLAN; means for computing a quality metric in a forward direction, relating to the network connection, wherein the forward direction refers to transmissions from the server to the mobile communications device; means for updating the service quality information in the database, wherein the service quality information is caused to change with time by quality metric updates from all mobile devices using the base and candidate access points; means for monitoring, for the base access point and candidate access points, service quality information; means for measuring a varying signal strength of beacons transmitted by the base access point and candidate access points as a user roams through the WLAN; and means for determining whether to handoff the mobile communications device from the base access point to one of the candidate access points and basing a handoff decision on beacon measurements and the service quality information for the base and candidate access points, wherein the means for determining further comprises means for determining whether a candidate access point has the strongest beacon, as received by the mobile communications device, as compared to the base access point; and means for determining, if the candidate access point has the strongest beacon, as determined by the mobile communication device, whether to handoff the mobile communications device from the base access point to the strongest candidate access point based on the relative quality of the network connection between the base and the strongest candidate access point, wherein the quality metrics for the strongest candidate access point are compared with the same quality metrics for the base access point.