Comparative Analysis of Reactive and Proactive Spectrum Handoff Techniques in a Cognitive Radio System

Spectrum Handoff (SH) is an important concept in Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN) in which a cognitive user vacates the spectrum and re-establishes new communication links through other idle spectrums to avoid interference. However, reactive and proactive methods, which are the two major techniques used for SH, have their strength and weaknesses. Hence, in this paper, a performance analysis of the two techniques in a CRN was carried out to evaluate the performance of the SH technique. MATLAB was used for the analysis by generating random data using a random integer generator and a Primary User (PU) signal. An Energy Detector (ED) was used to detect the presence of idle spectrum. SH technique was then carried out using reactive and proactive methods. Handoff Delay (HD), Collision Rates (CR) and Average Throughput (AT) were the metrics used to analyse the effectiveness of each SH technique in CRN. Simulation results demonstrated that the proactive spectrum handoff scheme exhibited lower latency, fewer collisions, and higher throughput compared to other schemes, especially in dynamic spectrum environments. It indicates its potential as an effective mechanism for cognitive radio user handoff management