Wireless Communications

Overview

Wireless communications are now part of everyday life, enabling systems and networks such as 5G, WiFi and the internet of things to name but a few. This module develops the necessary concepts required to understand the technology behind present-day wireless systems and sensors. It also explores some of the technologies which are likely to underpin future wireless systems such as MIMO and OFDM. Among the topics that will be covered are:

• Physical wireless layer technology, transmitter and receiver architectures
• Antennas and their parameters (gain, bandwidth, radiation pattern, efficiency, losses, sidelobes)
• Modulation and demodulation
• Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Friis Law in high frequency circuit designs
• Frequency selective and flat fading channels, Rayleigh and Rician Fading models
• Multi-antenna diversity (Selection Combining, Equal Gain Combining, Maximal ratio Combining)
• Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems
• Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

Coursework 1:
1. Focuses on radiofrequency system design and analyses of transmitter and receiver architectures in wireless systems.
2. Analyses of wireless networks, including SNR, antennas, system noise figure will be performed
3. Modulation and demodulation, and relevant techniques to realize them will be performed

Coursework 2:
1. Focuses on MIMO and Multi-Antenna Diversity Strategy namely selection combining, equal gain combining and maximal ratio combining techniques, to enhance signal robustness in wireless communications.
2. Applies these concepts to evaluate how varying the number of diversity branches affects key performance metrics (such as bit error rate and outage probability) in wireless systems.
3. Investigates the principles underlying the MMSE receiver by analysing its performance across different SNR regimes (low and high SNR regions).

Additional Resources and Recommended literature:
The lecture materials are provided on CANVAS on a weekly-basis, and they are self-sufficient. Additional references & recommended literature for further information include:

C.A. Balanis, Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, John Wiley & Sons, 2015
T.S. Rappaprt, Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice, Cambridge University Press, 2024
Simon Haykin & Mathini Sellathurai, Elements of Digital Comms, Wiley
Simon Haykin & M. Moher, Digital and Analogue Communications
Gordon L. Stuber, Principles of Mobile Communication

Learning Objectives

Science and Mathematics:

• Demonstrate a good understanding of the physical hardware technology for radio wave propagation, including transmitter and receiver architectures, and the associated antenna architectures and modulation techniques forming wireless systems. Learn the concept of Friis Law and its application to high-frequency wireless circuits.

• Understand fading and the need for statistical approaches to modelling signal propagation and reception in wireless systems. Understand fundamental wireless communication concepts that are being used in current and future wireless systems.

Problem Analysis:

• Apply noise theory and Friis Law to design, analyse and optimize transmitter and receiver systems in wireless communications.

• Use learning from the Gaussian statistics as well as the Rayleigh and Rician fading models, to work with more advanced (unseen) fading models. Use this knowledge to determine different performance measures related to wireless communications.

Analytical Tools and Techniques:

• Mathematical analysis and theoretical modelling are employed to derive and evaluate performance metrics such as outage probability and bit error rate for multi-antenna diversity systems, including the derivation of the optimal MMSE receiver

Skills

Assimilation of lecture material, python skills, system model and problem-solving skills as well the application of probability, statistics, electromagnetic theory, and time-series forecasting to wireless data sets.

Assessment

None