On the Challenges of Building a Multi-Antenna Software-Defined Packet Radio

Authors:

Ketan Mandke, Robert C. Daniels, Robert W. Heath, Jr., and Scott M. Nettles

Reference:

Proceedings of the SDR Technical Conference and Product Exposition, Washington, DC, October, 2008.

Abstract:

The development of software-defined radios presents a set of challenges that is uniquely different from those faced in the development of traditional hardware radios. This paper examines problems and design challenges encountered in the development of Hydra, a multi-antenna multihop wireless testbed. In particular, we address the impact of design choices in the software architecture of this prototype, software performance issues, and practical issues dealing with the radio frequency (RF) front-end.

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