Interference Detection and Reporting in IEEE 802.11p Connected Vehicle Networks

Recent proposals to permit Wi-Fi to share the 5.9 GHz spectrum currently reserved exclusively for Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) have elicited strong reactions from both the wireless and connected vehicle communities. A variety of lab-based studies and simulation-based investigations have been conducted in an attempt to resolve the issue but the results have not resolved the issue. One possible solution is to provide DSRC networks with the capability to detect and report interference to a central authority so that appropriate action can be taken by Wi-Fi operators or spectrum regulators to resolve the issue. Here we propose and demonstrate that interference to DSRC networks can be detected simply and inexpensively using capabilities already incorporated into the IEEE 802.11p standard. We further propose that a simple and inexpensive method for reporting interference to DSRC networks would be to clone a second instance of the subsystem used to report untrustworthy digital certificates within the DSRC Security Credential Management System (SCMS) and deliver reports of possible interference events to a Spectrum Misbehavior Authority. Such a combined capability would resolve a longstanding but underappreciated concern that DSRC networks are vulnerable to a variety of short-range interferers but lack the capability to detect or report same. Although our focus is on DSRC, similar considerations apply to related schemes such as C-V2X.