Software-Defined Radios Role in a Smart WorldAug 18, 2015 7:48 AM | by Editorial Staff | NO COMMENTS

Stephanie Chiao, Product Marketing ManagerPer Vices Corp.

If you haven’t heard about Software-Defined Radio (SDR) yet, you will be sure to hear a lot about it soon. Not only has it hada significant impact on the defense industry and commercial enterprises, it is also rapidly becoming popular among the DIYhacker community. As a result, you can expect software defined radio to become a household term in the near future.

According to the Gartner Group, the typical residential home will be equipped with around 500 smart devices by the year2022. As a result, you can expect SDR to play a significant role across wireless channels in the home as well as at work.Further, the Gartner Group also predicts that there will be 250 million smart automobiles on the road by this time. This meansthat the software within a vehicle can be updated regularly which is turn will revolutionize the car services market, helping itgrow to have a significant impact. As a result, PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that the car services market will grow to$148 billion and the amount of car connectivity is expected to rise by three times from today’s connectivity levels.

As every aspect of our lives becomes connected via smart devices, new digital business opportunities will arise and evolve assoftware is adapted to meet changing needs. As more and more communication technologies require an interoperable flexiblesystem, SDR will continue to grow in value as it plays a crucial role in future smart technology.

Software-Defined Radio DefinedSoftware-Defined Radio or SDR can be described as a wirelesscommunication device where the receiver and transmitter functionality ischanged/modified by software with no physical changes made to thehardware. SDR was born out of the idea that radio tuners and filters couldbe replaced by software. This eliminates the need for using resistors andcapacitors as software-based filtering algorithms can be utilized to selectspecific frequencies. Of course there still needs to be a flexible enoughhardware platform but designs in this space have come a long ways.

These algorithms are both downloadable and adaptable over the lifespan of the radio hardware. This makes SDR infinitelyflexible and cost effective. Originally adopted and promoted by the military, SDR has evolved to become commerciallyavailable for multiple applications. The allure of using a single device (to receive and transmit) has now grown to play a majorrole in public safety, astronomy, transportation, etc.

Software-Defined Radio today does a lot more than just data and voice transmission. From traditional two-waycommunication, SDR has grown to be to have the potential to be incorporated into cellphones, Wi-Fi routers, TVs, policeradios, garage door openers, laptop, and aeronautical communications devices. The main driver for the popularity of SDR isthe ability to totally change thefunctionality of the device through software alone.

Software-Defined Radio and the CloudAfter the success of SDR, the next stage was set for the success of the Software Defined Network (SDN) which separatednetwork control from other functions. As a result, individuals are now able to build dynamic networks where the logic formaking decisions was made by the software, eliminating the need to rely on hardware linked ports.

With the birth of SDN, cloud computing became ubiquitous and now plays a significant role in our daily lives. SDNs providethe necessary dexterity and speed when it comes to delivering new services and applications.

Software-Defined Radio and Storage

HOME TECHNOLOGY CENTER KNOWLEDGE CENTER ENEWSLETTER CONFERENCES ADVERTISE IOT CONNECTOR

SEARCH

← ZigBee, the IoT, and Global GrowthInstalled Base of Wireless M2M Devices inthe Oil & Gas Industry to Reach 1.25Million by 2019 →

Technology that is software defined has revolutionized communication technology and, in turn, changed the world. Thesedays, it is easy to use this technology to manage data independent of hardware. This is done by distributing databases andfiles across several servers. So when large enterprises have a massive amount of data, software-defined storage becomesthe natural solution.

Software-defined architecture can extend the lifespan of hardware by almost a decade, but there may be some limitationsbased on hardware. Some applications may require changes to the hardware as the software evolves.

Software-Defined Radio and DefenseThe military is what drove the evolution of SDR technology and the commercial and civilian world would never have reaped itsbenefits without the defense industry. Warfare today requires fast, adaptable, and interoperable communication solutions andSDR makes this possible.

Military radio is no longer just about voice and data communications. These days, the military depends on communication onseveral different frequencies and implementing several different protocols. SDRs can not only perform standard two waycommunication, but can act as communication repeaters (allowing for different wireless devices to communicate with oneanother), offer secure wireless nodes,engage with a number of different devices concurrently, and provide very low latencypoint to point wireless links.

Current military activities require monitoring and communication on several different frequencies (HF,VHF, and UHF) andusing several different protocols (GSM, CDMA, LTE, WiFi, Bluteooth, etc.). If the system is both highly flexible and adaptable,software-defined radios enable military personnel to not only tune into one of the desired frequencies and support only oneprotocol, but the ability to monitor a large portion of the spectrum while supporting multiple protocols.

Software-Defined Radio in the Hacker CommunityWorking with radios used to be a cumbersome and complicated process. It was not only expensive, but also required a highlevel of skill to perform the necessary tasks. But SDR made it easy for anyone to perform these tasks by enabling thesoftware to control functions on the radio hardware. Further, now the hardware has become less expensive which isaccelerating wider adoption across a wide range of hobbyists.

The possibilities are endless when you can keep modifying and updating a device just based on software (just likesmartphones have been doing for the past few years). SDRs like Crimson are flexible wideband, high-gain platforms that areequipped with four independent receive chains and four independent transmit chains, each capable of up to 322 MHz of RFbandwidth from DC to 6 GHz. As a result, one can do multiple projects with this technology at home. The internet is loadedwith instructional videos and blogs to help those who want to get their feet wet.

As this technology has come down in cost, it doesn’t take much to get started on a SDR project. Some hobbyists who made atelevision tuner USB dongle for SDR possible have become commercially successful. This trend is expected to grow rapidlywith new devices entering the market driven by multiple startups. As a rule, if you’re a beginner, keep it simple to start off andlater you can get more serious about SDR.

There are already several SDR projects on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and this phenomenon is expected to rise. FromPSDR Keychains to smart cars, the possibilities are infinite. Across several fields of interest, there are a growing number ofpeople experimenting with software defined radios. This in turn will inspire the development of new applications that haven’tbeen imagined yet and should drive consumer electronic design. As consumers demand traditional devices toget smart, SDRwill grow in importance and become part of almost every electronic device availableat home or the office.

To find out more about SDR, visit www.pervices.com.

Comments are closed.

© 2017 - Brought to you by IOT-Today, a Webcom Communications Publication | All rights reserved | Privacy Policy

facebook twitter email sharethis