The idle period distribution for CSMA/CA networks for spectrum sensing applications

• Main Authors: Lau, Chiew Tong, Jayabal, Raymond J.
• Other Authors: School of Computer Engineering
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Computing methodologies::Simulation and modeling
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/102131; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/16547
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The CSMA/CA protocol leaves a idle/busy period signature in its band of operation that can easily be profiled by energy detectors. In this paper, we present a hypothesis on the protocol's idle period distribution and verify its exactness through simulation. This distribution may be useful in spectrum sensing applications where there is a need to fingerprint such networks, or to infer the number of nodes actively participating in the system using simple, protocol-independent circuitry.