This paper presents the design and performance evaluation of the SEANet platform, a software-defined acoustic modem designed for enhancing underwater networking and Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) applications. Addressing the limitations of traditional acoustic modems, which suffer from low data rates and rigid architectures, SEANet introduces a versatile, adaptive framework capable of reconfiguring all layers of the protocol stack in real-time to accommodate diverse marine applications. The platform integrates high-performance, wideband data converters with modular hardware and software components, enabling real-time adaptation to changing environmental and operational conditions. Experimental evaluations conducted in oceanic settings demonstrate the SEANet capability to significantly exceed the performance of existing commercial underwater modems, supporting data rates up to 150 kbit/s and effectively doubling the performance metrics of conventional systems. Our robust testing also highlights the SEANet proficiency in channel estimation, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) link establishment, and interoperability through the JANUS communication standard. Our results underscore the SEANet potential to transform underwater communication technologies, providing a scalable and efficient solution that supports high data rate applications and fosters the expansion of IoUT deployments.

翻译：本文介绍了SEANet平台的设计与性能评估，该平台是一种专为增强水下组网及水下物联网（IoUT）应用而设计的软件定义声学调制解调器。针对传统声学调制解调器在低数据速率与刚性架构方面的局限性，SEANet引入了一种通用自适应的框架，能够实时重配置协议栈的所有层次，以适应多样化的海洋应用。该平台将高性能宽带数据转换器与模块化硬件和软件组件相结合，实现对变化的环境与运行条件的实时适应。在海洋环境中进行的实验评估表明，SEANet的能力显著超越现有商用水下调制解调器的性能，支持高达150 kbit/s的数据速率，并将传统系统的性能指标有效提升一倍。我们的鲁棒测试还凸显了SEANet在信道估计、正交频分复用（OFDM）链路建立以及通过JANUS通信标准实现互操作性方面的卓越能力。研究结果强调了SEANet变革水下通信技术的潜力，提供了支持高数据速率应用的 scalable 高效解决方案，并促进了水下物联网（IoUT）部署的扩展。