Software radio based wireless laboratory design and implementation for enhancing undergraduate wireless engineering education

Abstract

Wireless communication and networking have revolutionized the way people communicate. The past decades have witnessed two trends: miniaturization of wireless devices, and scarcity of radio resources. Miniaturization results in more devices being deployed. As more devices go wireless, they have to share a finite yet increasingly crowded radio spectrum. As devices become smaller and the airwaves become more crowded, more efficient ways are needed to allow them to communicate and share the spectrum. Software defined radio offers one solution. With careful planning and design, devices are taught using software to figure out which frequency bands are quiet, negotiate with other devices in their vicinity, and pick one or more bands over which to transmit and receive data. Cross-layer networking design offers another solution, which integrates the lower layer knowledge of the wireless medium with higher protocol layers, to devise efficient methods of network resource sharing and to make applications adaptive to radio channel and network conditions. These potentials make cross-layer design an increasingly important area for future network engineers to grasp. Therefore, future engineers will need to be trained with fundamental principles as well as emerging technologies across protocol layers. The evolution of wireless communication and networking presents such a need and a unique opportunity to integrate undergraduate education across the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science curricula, which trains future engineers with a deeper and holistic understanding of and skills for current and emerging wireless communication and networking technologies. In this paper, we report the development of an easily replicable model of evolvable, low cost, software defined radio (SDR)-based wireless communication and networking laboratories as well as associated teaching and learning materials that can be adopted or adapted to impact national engineering education practices. The SDR-based laboratories are tailored to the need of individual courses, yet serve as a catalyst for the integration of core courses. The outcomes include a set of pilot wireless course laboratories based on the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) boards that employ GNU software radio, lab development user manuals, lab teaching manuals, proven methods of effective lab instruction, and evaluation & assessment materials. The labs will create a space where students can learn by working with tangible signals, wireless channels, and communication systems, which reinforces mathematics and simulation examples, and helps integrate concepts by building a working system. The initial effectiveness of enhancing student learning and skills has been demonstrated. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2010.