Centralized, measurement-based, spectrum management for environments with heterogeneous wireless networks

Heterogeneity of wireless networks has become an increasing problem in the wireless spectrum that breaks down spectrum sharing and exacerbates interference. Many coexistence techniques have been proposed to alleviate this interference, however, they are difficult to deploy due to changes needed in the protocols, overhead, and rapid changes in technology. In this paper, we focus on the potential of spectrum management to provide a long-term solution. We introduce novel components to a spectrum management system that overcomes limitations of current models that have remained relatively focused on homogeneous environments. Our approach is a centralized one, where we analyze information collected from heterogeneous monitors available today, structure the information in a hypergraph, and perform an analysis to detect heterogeneous conflicts. Introducing a mixed integer program (in addition to other novel components), we reconfigure devices in the spectrum to avoid conflicts and improve performance.