Cloud service for optimizing white-space networks coexistence

A computer-implemented process for optimizing the coexistence of a plurality of different wireless networks that concurrently operate in a common geographic region, comprising:

• using a wireless computing device operating in one of said wireless networks comprising a plurality of wireless computing devices to perform the following process actions:
• sending a query to a cloud service requesting advice on specific portions of a radio frequency spectrum to use;
• sending explicit information to the cloud service that the wireless computing device locally observes about current radio frequency spectrum usage, said information comprising specifying portions of the radio frequency spectrum that are not currently being used by any licensed incumbent users in the current geographic location of the wireless node;
• receiving a recommendation reply from the cloud service comprising information specifying recommended portions of the radio frequency spectrum to use in order to minimize one or more of interference in the spectrum, or noise in the spectrum, or contention in the spectrum, said information being based on at least the sent explicit information that the wireless node locally observed about current radio frequency spectrum usage;
• selecting one of the recommended portions of the radio frequency spectrum from said information;
• and
• configuring a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver to communicate in the selected portion of the radio frequency spectrum.

A computer-implemented process for optimizing the coexistence of a plurality of different white-space networks that concurrently operate in a common geographic region, comprising:

• using a computer to perform the following process actions:
• receiving a query from a white-space node requesting advice on specific portions of a white-space spectrum to use, wherein said white-space node is a wireless computing device operating in one of said white-space networks comprising a plurality of white-space nodes, and wherein the query comprises,
• an identifier that uniquely identifies the white-space node,
• information specifying a current geographic location of the white-space node,
• information specifying that the white-space node wants to use a long-range network, and
• information specifying available portions of the white-space spectrum, said available portions comprising portions of the white-space spectrum that are not currently being used by any licensed incumbent users in a geographic region comprising said location;
• running a spectrum recommendation procedure to generate advice on recommended portions of the white-space spectrum for the white-space node to use in order to minimize one or more of interference in the spectrum, or noise in the spectrum, or contention in the spectrum;
• and
• sending a recommendation reply comprising said advice to the white-space node, wherein whenever there is a plurality of available portions of the white-space spectrum and all of the plurality of available portions are currently being used by other white-space nodes, said advice comprises a list of the available portions of the white-space spectrum which are not reserved for use by white-space nodes wanting to use a short-range network, and whose current contention level is below a prescribed threshold, and whose current interference level is below another prescribed threshold.