A framework for interference analysis of heterogeneous radio networks

Abstract

The increasing use of unlicensed frequency bands for radio communications calls for investigations of the interference between coexisting radio networks. The wide variety of radio interfaces makes such investigations hard to perform. We present a general framework for the analysis of heterogeneous interfering radio networks, where the networks are modeled with individual properties for the packet types used, transmitted power distributions in time and frequency from the packet transmissions, and with path loss between network nodes. By using closed form expressions for the throughput of the networks, important mechanisms limiting their performance can be investigated. The closed form expressions enable fast and flexible analysis to be performed without extensive computer simulations. To illustrate the use of the framework we analyze an example system of interfering IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth networks.