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computer networks, wifi, intrusion detection
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COMPUTING RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK [September 30 - October 7, 2011]
Airshark: Detecting Non-WiFi RF Devices using Commodity WiFi Hardware
University of Wisconsin, Madison researchers have developed Airshark, software that enables wireless access points to automatically detect radio-frequency interference and make adjustments to preserve the quality of Wi-Fi connections. They say the software could eliminate the need for separate spectrum analyzers that discover interfering devices but do nothing to counter the interference. Airshark can identify Bluetooth and ZigBee devices, cordless phones, wireless video cameras, and Xboxes with at least 91 percent accuracy, depending on the signal strength. Airshark uses a wireless card's application programming interface to gather data about radio frequencies in the surrounding area. The researchers say the program's performance is comparable to a commercial signal analyzer. They also note that if wireless access points were embedded with the Airshark software, systems could start using interference-mitigation mechanisms. In a Wi-Fi environment employing multiple access points, Airshark could physically locate interfering devices by collaborating among the access points to triangulate on its signal, according to the researchers.
Researchers:
Shravan Rayanchu (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Ashish Patro (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Suman Banerjee (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Institution(s) (that have supported the research):
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Computing Research Highlight of the Week is a service of the Computing Community Consortium and the Computing Research Association designed to highlight some of the exciting and important recent research results in the computing fields. Each week a new highlight is chosen by CRA and CCC staff and volunteers from submissions from the computing community. Want your research featured? Submit it!.
