  A Cognitive Radio is a type of Software-Defined Radio (SDR) that
automatically detects available wireless spectrum and adjusts its physical
hardware, modulation, or protocol parameters to obtain optimal throughput,
latency, and range. Much of prior Cognitive Radio research and design has
required expensive transceivers using licensed bands that are not openly
available for use by unlicensed users. This thesis presents a low-cost hardware
platform built from off-the-shelf components that utilizes free to use
Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) bands, and implements a concurrent
multi-spectrum point-to-point wireless protocol optimized for non-stationary
devices. Performance metrics such as cost, latency, throughput, and range are
measured and analyzed. Applications of such a wireless implementation are
proposed and implemented, such as smart-city infrastructure that allows
internet connectivity to inner-city users by providing Wi-Fi Access Points
through mobile On-Board Unit (OBU) devices with uplinks delivered from
stationary Roadside Unit (RSU) devices.
