Wireless communications and coexistence for smart environments

Technology is emerging that will support the pervasive deployment of small intelligent devices that serve their owner and communicate using wireless t ransmissions. Collectively, these devices would provide a smart environment . Before this vision can become a reality, significant challenges must be o vercome in the design of access protocols, and in spectrum management polic ies. Some devices in a smart environment must be able to communicate, and a ll devices in a smart environment must be able to coexist without excessive mutual interference. This article discusses various methods of achieving t hese goals, and the fundamental trade-offs involved. Some of the alternativ e methods include the allocation of unlicensed spectrum for this purpose, e stablishment of an etiquette that constrains access protocol designs, adopt ion of a full standard for access protocols, and the creation of a spectrum band manager.