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Cognitive Radios Could Increase Wireless Spectrum

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the and-now-i-can't-get-anything-but-talk-radio dept.

schliz writes to tell us that a new intelligent radio technology, dubbed "cognitive radio," is being developed that adjusts operation based on input from its surroundings. Consumers wont likely see practical implementations of this tech for another five years, but it could have wide reaching applications from wireless networking to public safety devices. "Adaptive, cognitive radios could enable techniques such as dynamic frequency sharing, in which radios automatically locate unused frequencies, or share channels based on a priority system. In public safety, cognitive radios also could be used to provide interoperability between various signals and automatically adjust radio performance."

3 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Xirrus supports this... by mwilliamson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Uber high-end (such as Xirrus) Wifi-A/P's already turn their power down when needed. What is needed is a standardized and ieee ratified protocol so that an A/P can order its connected clients to lower their power as well. This allows for packing in more and more "cells" in a given area, thereby increasing the overall throughput. It also has a nice side effect of much extended battery life. (at least in cell phones/pda's...might not be significant with a laptop.) This is nothing new, and the cell-phone industry figured it out a long time ago.

  2. Seems like a good thing (tm) by Froze · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The same concept has been in play for entire existence of Ethernet, which has proven very reliable. The only significant difference here is that instead of time based - single channel- collisions where you back off for a random amount of time, you back off and frequency hop.

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    -- The morphemes of your disquisition are ascertainable, but they have eschewed an ambit of transpicuous exposition.
  3. Re:Maybe I'm cynical... by nategoose · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I love technology... but when it comes to safety and emergency systems, it's usually best to use the lowest-tech solution possible: cheaper, easier to repair/maintain, more robust, more reliable, and better understood.

    I agree. Lately I've been thinking about the day when someone gets stranded on an island, actually builds a simple transmitter to ask for help, and no one can hear their plea because it's old fashioned analog radio. Oh, they die before someone finds them. It's sad.