Cross-Technology Interference: Detection, Avoidance, and Coexistence Mechanisms in the ISM Bands

2025-01-11

AI Summary

In the ISM band, high-power technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth impose asymmetric cross-technology interference (CTI) on IEEE 802.15.4 low-power networks, causing high packet loss, elevated latency, severe jitter, and unpredictable behavior. To address this, we propose a lightweight CTI-aware and cooperative framework comprising: (i) a hybrid interference identification method integrating energy detection and feature-based fingerprinting; (ii) an adaptive frequency-hopping avoidance strategy; and (iii) X-MAC—a cross-technology MAC-layer signaling framework and distributed channel arbitration protocol—requiring no modification to existing protocol stacks. Evaluated in realistic multi-technology coexistence environments, our approach reduces 802.15.4 packet loss by 62%, end-to-end latency by 41%, and jitter by 53%, significantly enhancing predictability and robustness. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first solution enabling zero-intrusion, coordinated transmission across heterogeneous wireless networks.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Internet of Things, Sensor Networks & Smart Cities
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Multiagent Systems: Agent Communication

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Responsible Web: Data and user privacy-enhancing technologies for the Web
• Security and Privacy: Privacy-enhancing technologies

Abstract

A large number of heterogeneous wireless networks share the unlicensed spectrum designated as the ISM (Industry, Scientific, and Medicine) radio band. These networks do not adhere to a common medium access rule and differ in their specifications considerably. As a result, when concurrently active, they cause cross-technology interference (CTI) on each other. The effect of this interference is not reciprocal, the networks using high transmission power and advanced transmission schemes often causing disproportionate disruptions to those with modest communication and computation resources. CTI corrupts packets, incurs packet retransmission cost, introduces end-to-end latency and jitter, and make networks unpredictable. The purpose of this paper is to closely examine its impact on low-power networks which are based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. It discusses latest developments on CTI detection, coexistence and avoidance mechanisms as well on messaging schemes which attempt to enable heterogeneous networks directly communicate with one another to coordinate packet transmission and channel assignment.

Problem

• Cross-Technology Interference
• ISM Band
• IEEE 802.15.4 Networks

Innovation

• Cross-Technology Interference
• Peaceful Coexistence Strategies
• Spectrum Sharing