Unlocking the potential of wireless: navigating the overcrowded 2.4GHz band with Cognitive Coexistence

The frequency spectrum is fundamental to understanding wireless communication as it is used by all the billions of wireless devices operating around us. But the crazy thing is, this multitude of wireless products are only allowed to utilize a tiny fraction of the frequency spectrum, making it an extremely crowded space. It’s time to start thinking of frequencies as a limited natural resource!

The 2.4GHz band offers a relatively good range for wireless communication. It can penetrate walls and obstacles reasonably well, allowing signals to reach devices even when they are not in direct line-of-sight with the transmitter. But there is another major reason – unlike much of the frequency spectrum, it is free to use!

This small section of the frequency spectrum – the 2.4GHz band – is where most of the world’s wireless devices operate.

Breaking through the noise has never been harder

As a band which is globally accessible without buying an expensive license, it is hardly surprising that 2.4GHz is the most popular and most used frequency out there. The bottom line is that the 2.4GHz band has become overcrowded, resulting in interference, transmission disturbances and degraded wireless performance.

When failure is not an option

There is however an ingenious method of wireless communication which can coexist in this narrow frequency space with other wireless technologies without causing interference or being interfered with – and it’s called Cognitive Coexistence.