A Comparison of Control-Channel Schemes in OSA Networks Using a Configurable Testbed
Jae‐Kark Choi, Camillo Gentile · 2017
In this paper, the control channel for secondary users in opportunistic spectrum access networks is considered. Given a licensed bandwidth for primary users, we compare the performance of three control-channel schemes: dedicated, underlay, and overlay. The key performance metric for comparison is the primary data rate, i.e., how it is affected by interference from secondary control messaging. The comparison is conducted via a configurable testbed implementation of a primary and a secondary network, each composed from two USRP radios connected through an RF channel emulator. The MATLAB/Simulink software toolbox is used to develop the baseband models for the radio transceivers. Trade-offs between the three schemes, as well as insight on the practical implementation of NC-OFDM in opportunistic spectrum access systems, are provided.