This project, acquiring an experimental platform to support integrated research and educational activities on wireless multimedia networking, examines problems of limited bandwidth of the wireless channel, of interference caused from multiple users operating in the same band, of rapid variations due to signal fading, of limited battery life of wireless devices, and of speed and reliability of wireless networking. The instrumentation consists of multiple radios based on software defined radio platforms, wireless nodes and open source drivers based on the IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standard, DSP platforms enabling real time video encoding and wireless transmission, dynamic power scaling, and power measurement, and test equipment. The instrument supports research on: . Cooperative wireless networking, Wireless video transmission, Energy efficient networking, and . Integration of research and education through the Wireless Information Systems Lab. The platform contributes to advance the state-of-the-art in multimedia wireless communications, not only enabling testing of new and existing algorithms, but also leading new theory founded on more realistic assumptions. Broader Impacts: The instrument impacts new wireless technologies, serves to integrate research and education through the Wireless Information Systems Lab (WISL), enables the training of undergraduate and graduate students in wireless communication, and development of new courses for the curriculum. It contributes to the first efforts of implementing a fully cooperative network, whose benefits have been well established through theory and simulations. The experimental platform is expected to accelerate commercial developments in the field and impact current wireless standards. The impact on industry will be facilitated by the close relationship of the institution with Wireless Internet Center for Advanced Technology (WICAT) member companies.
