IPSAG: An IP Spectrum Aware Geographic Routing algorithm proposal for multi-hop Cognitive Radio networks

In the recent years Cognitive Radio (CR) technology imposed itself like a very good solution to the increasing spectrum utilization. This technology proposes the development of a new radio type - a cognitive radio - endowed with intelligence that shall sense, share, and use the spectrum opportunities (SOP) of the preexisting wireless networks, that is the channels that are not used by the licensed users. A new routing algorithm for CR networks (CRN): IPSAG - IP Spectrum Aware Geographic based Routing Protocol is presented in the paper. As suggested by the name, the IP hop-by-hop, the geographic, and the spectrum aware routing concepts were used together in the protocol´s design. The dynamism and flexibility, characteristic to both CR and IP networks, made us compare the CR concept with the IP concept (a wireless versus wired flexible environment comparison); thus we assumed the IP routing approach for CRN. The proposed strategy is based on hop-by-hop routing, local decisions being taken by nodes according to both local information (CR node´s neighborhood) and global information (the entire topology of CRN), channels availability, and destination location.