Remote Spectrum Monitoring Based on SDR-GNU Radio Sensors: IQ Streaming and FFT Streaming

Software-defined radio (SDR) platforms are rapidly advancing in many radio-specific applications and beyond due to their configuration flexibility and versatility. In this paper, we propose solutions for electromagnetic spectrum monitoring and control, focusing on direct IQ sampling and spectral component determination using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). IQ sampling is required for a more complete understanding of the signal, including packet analysis, modulation quality and errors. However, this approach results in a high data transfer rate. In contrast, the use of FFT streaming significantly reduces the data rate. Spectrum monitoring is performed using a network of SDR sensors running applications developed under the free and open-source GNU Radio environment. This framework makes it easy to monitor remotely and to develop programming in C++ or Python.