CRC Announces The Availability Of WiFi-Compliant Cognitive Radio Technology
The world's first commercial WiFi-based cognitive radio development platform is available from the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC). The system will be of interest to both researchers and wireless Internet service providers building multipoint relay and other types WiFi networks. Called CORAL, the system can undertake radio interference sensing and autonomously adapt to the sensed interference.
The system can synchronize WiFi packet transmissions and implement packet-by-packet antenna steering, features that are not available in the current IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol. CORAL's modified WiFi terminals are synchronized by GPS or by the broadcast beacon capability of WiFi, or by a combination of the two techniques. GPS synchronization of a network can be extended into the interior of a building from outside.
The cognitive features are programmed using a set of API's that have been taken from MadWiFi or custom developed by CRC. By writing the appropriate cognitive engine algorithms that control the APIs, the wireless developer can create point-to-multipoint distribution networks, mesh networks, or any variety of wireless topologies that are sensitive to interference and need autonomous adaptive control.
The system is currently implemented using IEEE 802.11g (2.4 GHz) platforms but will soon be available for 5 GHz.
The CRC is the federal government's primary laboratory for R&D in advanced telecommunications, including wireless. It investigates new technologies and provides consultative support to the Canadian government. The lab is located in Ottawa, Canada.
The CRC has contributed extensively to the IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) and IEEE 802.22 (TV Band) standards development processes. The lack of practical equipment and experimental evidence on the efficacy of cognitive radio led to the development of the CORAL system. Originally developed to support CRC researchers with their TV band white space and ISM band investigations, the technology is now being made available to universities and wireless companies as an R&D development tool. The technology has been demonstrated at DYSPAN 2010, ISWCS 2010, and ICT 2010. For more information, visit www.crc.gc.ca/coral.
SOURCE: Communications Research Centre Canada