Improving Spectrum Sensing as a Method for White Space Identification through Design Principles

Spectrum sensing’s inability to provide maximum protection to primary users operating in television white spaces summarizes the technical challenges associated with it. Building upon “WhiteNet”, a white space network management platform for campus connectivity, this paper proposes design principles that can be incorporated in a white space identification system based on a cooperative spectrum sensing model that both minimizes the probability of causing interference to primary users due to false negatives and reduces false positives thereby increasing the amount of white spaces identified. Real-world indoor measurements of a TV transmitter signal were used to evaluate the proposed principles. The results reveal the relevance of using these design principles in white space networking using the emerging White-Fi protocol.