Spectrum Monitoring Network: Tradeoffs, Results, and Future Directions

Abstract

Due to its high cost, there is limited use of professional grade test equipment in the field to monitor, characterize, and identify spectrum usage. To supplement existing high-accuracy measurements there is therefore a large interest in using lower-cost software defined radio (SDR) receivers to complement or replace the high-cost spectrum analyzers in RF (radio frequency) measurement systems. Doing this allows measurements that are (1) continuous or at least much more frequent, (2) more densely located (in frequency and location), and (3) remotely controllable, and it even allows for additional measurements not practical using current solutions such as simultaneous measurements of the same signal at multiple locations. However, there is an inherent trade-off between price and performance and there may be a complex up-front characterization procedure necessary to ensure the measurement accuracy.