Due to the culmination of the recent reapportionment of FCC frequency bands and the acceleration of wireless device complexity, simultaneous access to multiple diverse wireless frequency bands is becoming more of a reality. Naturally, the question arises: How can simultaneous access to a wide range of frequency bands with distinct propagation and communication capabilities improve current wireless network performance? In this CAREER research, a foundation is laid for exploiting multiple frequency bands for multihop wireless networks from per-link to network-wide decisions. To do so, this project uses experimental design, measurement analysis, analytical modeling, and embedded programming on an array of devices and testbeds from mobile phones globally reachable via application downloads to in-lab and in-the-field wireless infrastructures.
There are three key innovations to the work: 1) An experimental characterization for multiple frequency band propagation characteristics by leveraging mobile phone measurements and in-field trials on a number of frequency bands, 2) A network planning framework for scalable, multiband architectures that uses empirical and analytical models for capacity prediction of heterogeneous topological formations across a diverse set of frequency bands, and 3) Protocols that coordinate and adapt link parameters across multiple wireless frequency bands, guided by real-time measurements of channel variability, an understanding of environmental context, and on-line training based on historical performance. As a result of work, multihop wireless network researchers, developers, and infrastructure providers can leverage the framework to exploit multiple frequency bands in a broad class of network protocols, topologies, and environments via available experimental data, analytical model development, and protocol design.
