Research Article
Head to Head Battle of TV White Space and WiFi for Connecting Developing Regions
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-319-66742-3_18, author={David Johnson and Natasha Zlobinsky and Albert Lysko and Magdeline Lamola and Senka Hadzic and Richard Maliwatu and Melissa Densmore}, title={Head to Head Battle of TV White Space and WiFi for Connecting Developing Regions}, proceedings={e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries. 8th International Conference, AFRICOMM 2016, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, December 6-7, 2016, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={AFRICOMM}, year={2017}, month={10}, keywords={TV white space 802.11 Rural connectivity}, doi={10.1007/978-3-319-66742-3_18} }- David Johnson
Natasha Zlobinsky
Albert Lysko
Magdeline Lamola
Senka Hadzic
Richard Maliwatu
Melissa Densmore
Year: 2017
Head to Head Battle of TV White Space and WiFi for Connecting Developing Regions
AFRICOMM
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-66742-3_18
Abstract
TV White Space networks are gaining momentum worldwide as an important addition to the suite of wireless protocols available for connecting developing regions. However, there has been no thorough investigation of scenarios where TV White Space performs better or worse than alternative low-cost wireless technology such as WiFi. This paper analyzes the performance of 5 GHz WiFi links and TV White space links using down-converted WiFi, typically used as wireless backhaul for poorly connected regions, in different scenarios including line-of-sight links and links obstructed by trees and structures. The experiments make use of 802.11a/b/g WiFi and TV White Space equipment that downconverts standard 802.11 a/b/g WiFi from the 2.4 GHz band into the UHF band. The paper finds that 5 GHz links outperformed TVWS where clear line-of-sight is available and point-to-point links are required. TVWS however is a clear choice where there are obstructions and where wider coverage is needed. Some interesting observations on the negative effect of TV transmissions in adjacent channels a few channel-hops away from the channel being used for TVWS are also provided.