Characterization of an opportunistic wireless syntonization using a low-cost test-bed

Abstract

The most promising way of bringing localization services to GPS denied areas is the use of wireless sensor networks. The attainable accuracy for many methods of localization is highly depending on the synchronization between the sensor nodes. In this paper we describe a concept of adjusting the frequency of the local clocks with the help of signals of opportunity. It is explained, how broadcast signals can be used as a wireless reference signal for this syntonization process. We characterize the syntonization accuracy with the help of time domain analysis techniques (e.g. Allan Deviation). The measurements are carried out with a new low-cost test-bed using a software-defined radio hardware platform and the open source software GNU Radio. Using this measurement setup we characterize the wireless syntonization performance between two sensor nodes.