Ultrawideband USRP-Based Channel Sounding Utilizing the RFNoC Framework

TL;DR

This paper presents a versatile ultrawideband channel sounder built with NI USRP hardware, FPGA processing, and open-source tools, improving data handling and SNR, serving as a proof-of-concept for future research.

Contribution

It introduces a flexible USRP-based ultrawideband channel sounder utilizing RFNoC framework, enhancing data efficiency and SNR, and demonstrating its potential as a research prototype.

Findings

Improved signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio through averaging.

Reduced measurement data size compared to existing designs.

Versatile design suitable for various research applications.

Abstract

This paper shows how an ultrawideband channel sounder can be built with the latest National Instruments (NI) Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) equipment, featuring onboard FPGA processing and utilizing open-source tools. Compared to other USRP-based channel sounders, our design is versatile, eases the requirements on the data link between the USRPs and the host, limits the measurement data size, and increases the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio due to averaging. Furthermore, this paper serves as a proof-of-concept for other researchers seeking to build a channel sounder based on the USRP equipment.