Dynamic channel, rate selection and scheduling for white spaces.

ABSTRACT We investigate dynamic channel, rate selection and scheduling for wireless systems which exploit the large number of channels available in the White-space spectrum. We first present measurements of radio channel characteristics from an indoor testbed operating in the 500 to 600MHz band and comprising 11 channels. We observe significant and unpredictable (non-stationary) variations in the quality of these channels, and demonstrate the potential benefit in throughput from tracking the best channel and also from optimally adapting the transmission rate. We propose adaptive learning schemes able to efficiently track the best channel and rate for transmission, even in scenarios with non-stationary channel condition variations. We also describe a joint scheduling scheme for providing fairness in an Access Point scenario. Finally, we implement the proposed adaptive scheme in our testbed, and demonstrate that it achieves significant throughput improvement (typically from 40% to 100%) compared to traditional fixed channel selection schemes

Delay and energy efficiency optimizations in smart grid neighbourhood area networks

Smart grids play a significant role in addressing climate change and growing energy demand. The role of smart grids includes reducing greenhouse gas emission reduction by providing alternative energy resources to the traditional grid. Smart grids exploit renewable energy resources into the power grid and provide effective two-way communications between smart grid domains for efficient grid control. The smart grid communication plays a pivotal role in coordinating energy generation, energy transmission, and energy distribution. Cellular technology with long term evolution (LTE)-based standards has been a preference for smart grid communication networks. However, integrating the cellular technology and the smart grid communication network puts forth a significant challenge for the LTE because LTE was initially invented for human centric broadband purpose. Delay and energy efficiency are two critical parameters in smart grid communication networks. Some data in smart grids are real-time delay-sensitive data which is crucial in ensuring stability of the grid. On the other hand, when abnormal events occur, most communication devices in smart grids are powered by local energy sources with limited power supply, therefore energy-efficient communications are required. This thesis studies energy-efficient and delay-optimization schemes in smart grid communication networks to make the grid more efficient and reliable. A joint power control and mode selection in device-to-device communications underlying cellular networks is proposed for energy management in the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Managements system. Moreover, a joint resource allocation and power control in heterogeneous cellular networks is proposed for phasor measurement units to achieve efficient grid control. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes