TheDynamicRADARSystemDesign,ImplementationandEvaluation.docVIP

The Dynamic RADAR System: Design, Implementation and Evaluation Paramvir Bahl, Venkata N. Padmanabhan and Anand Balachandran  Abstract The problem of locating users using a radio frequency (RF) wireless LAN within buildings poses several significant challenges. First, a user is often mobile, i.e., their location is a dynamically varying quantity. Second, the RF environment varies dynamically as a function of factors such the distribution of people in the building. Third, neighboring access points in a wireless LAN operate on distinct channels, so a user positioning system that depends on receiving beacons from multiple access points is forced to dynamically switch between channels. To address these challenges we have built a system, called the Dynamic RADAR System (DRS), for real-time user location tracking in a dynamic environment. DRS is developed on a system we previously built called RADAR and incorporates several novel algorithms that address each of these challenges. These include a history-based algorithm for continuous user tracking, an environmental profiling algorithm to compensate for the vagaries of the radio environment, and a dynamic channel switching algorithm. In addition, we have developed WiLIB, a hardware-agnostic library that exposes to user-level applications facets of the wireless network (e.g., received signal strength) that remain hidden in current operating systems. DRS is implemented purely in software and is easily deployable over standard wireless LAN hardware. Introduction The proliferation of lightweight, portable computing devices and high-speed wireless local-area networks has enabled users to remain connected while moving about inside buildings. This emerging paradigm has generated a lot of interest in applications and services that are a function of a mobile user’s physical location, enabling them to interact effectively with their physical surroundings [1]. In general, the amount of precision desired in locating users dictates t