Abstract
Nowadays, the popular 2.4-GHz band is used in different systems, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, wireless sensor systems, and wireless cameras. Instead of the over-crowded 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi band, this research offers the experience of using the 5-GHz Wi-Fi band, which provides more spectrum availability, more channels, larger bandwidth, faster data transmission, higher data rates, higher speed, and better quality of service compared to those of the 2.4-GHz band. In this paper, practical implementation and testing of a cooperative spectrum sensing system are presented. The spectrum utilization in the 5-GHz Wi-Fi licensed band at six different locations is investigated to allow the transition of secondary users (SUs) to free bands. The spectrum measurement is performed on a centralized cooperative spectrum sensing system, which consists of a master cognitive radio node and five cognitive radio stations. The measurement and simulation results for the practical system are compared with the previous related measurements obtained in Singapore, Barcelona, North Dakota (USA), and Germany. They all agree that the spectrum is underutilized, and it needs to be better utilized for increasing the spectrum efficiency. The practical results show that the newly implemented system in the 5-GHz range fulfills the requirements of users with high efficiency and high quality of service compared to those of the 2.4-GHz system.