A Novel GUI for Link Budget Evaluation of FSO Backhaul in Dense Fog Networks for 6G

The scalability of fog computing-based networks is hindered by the limited storage and processing capabilities of fog nodes, preventing their deployment in dense future communication networks. In this article, we propose the use of free space optical (FSO) communication for high-speed backhaul applications in fog computing-based sixth-generation (6G) networks. The link budget of a FSO system is analyzed for different link ranges. The transmitter antenna gain (based on the gaussian beam underfilling the transmitter aperture), path loss, receiver antenna gain (based on telescope aperture diameter), received power, and link margin are determined using python programming. Practical transmitted power is measured at the output terminal of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) using an optical power meter. Receiver sensitivity is measured over different link ranges on different FSO sites. The atmospheric extinction effects and influence of turbulence are also considered in the analysis. A novel graphic user interface (GUI) tool is developed to measure the optical link budget. The results obtained using this GUI tool are verified using python programming, and both are found to achieve nearly the same values.