MAC Layer Mitigation of Interference Between IEEE 802.11a and Ultra Wideband (UWB) Systems

The performance of an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) system in the presence of IEEE 802.11a interference is evaluated. Our results indicate that IEEE 802.11a interference can cause a significant increase in the bit error rate and a severe degradation of the attainable throughput of UWB systems. We propose a novel idea in the medium access control (MAC) layer in order to mitigate this interference. We demonstrate this idea by simulating an independent device capable of moderating IEEE 802.11a transmissions, thereby allowing UWB stations to communicate without interference. Our simulation results further demonstrate the feasibility of such simple and inexpensive third party devices that can be used within future homes and offices to guarantee coexistence of the two systems.