A Cognitive Radio Network Testbed for Wireless Communication and Signal Processing Education

Typical wireless communication and signal processing education involves, initially mastering theory and then transitioning to studying specific protocols and applications. We present a physical cognitive radio network testbed, developed at Virginia Tech that has interfaces that enable it to be an educational resource using open source software and a simple component-based modeling structure. This testbed advances the educational opportunities available to the cognitive radio wireless communication and signal processing communities by providing a "real-world" platform where students can develop and test cognitive radio protocols and applications and observe how they react in a real wireless environment. Using simple interfaces, students will be able to rapidly develop algorithms and deploy them in a real wireless environment saving time in developing component evaluation and simulation techniques, yet providing them with valid feedback about how their components interactedwith the environment.