525.438 - Introduction to Wireless Technology Course Homepage
Instructor Information
Robbin Roddewig
Email: robbin.roddewig@verizon.netWork Phone: (703) 453-7700
Course Information
Course Description
This course introduces students to the modern technology involved with commercial wireless communications systems such as digital cellular, personal communications systems (PCS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, and other topics. Various multiple access methods and signal formats are considered. Hardware implementations of system components are presented and analyzed. Modulation and demodulation architectures are introduced and modeled using PC based tools.
Prerequisites
An undergraduate degree in electrical engineering or the equivalent. Experience with Matlab and Simulink will be helpful.
Course Goal
This course introduces the fundamentals of wireless systems. It allows students to understand the design, analysis and performance of wireless systems ranging from cellular to wireless data systems to GPS. Emphasis is on the physical layer. Course uses Matlab and Simulink modeling to assemble and analyze a software defined radio with appropriate noise, channel and multipath.
Course Objectives
- Upon completion of the course students should be able to pick up any wireless system specification and system design and understand the design approach used and system tradeoffs involved in the physical (radio and digital) layer.
- Understand how an ideal wireless system works from data/information in to data/information out. Then real world degradations are added and their mitigation introduced and or modeled.
- Example systems are analyzed such as CDMA, GSM, 802.11, Bluetooth, GPS and Short Range Wireless Devices.
When This Course is Typically Offered
In person in Spring at MCC on occasion. Online version is offered fall, spring and summer with some rotation..
Syllabus
Topics Covered
- Introduction to Matlab and Simulink
- Functions and elements of ideal wireless system
- Effects of additive noise
- Channel modeling and effects
- Modulation and demodulation techniques
- Interference effects
- Wireless system range calculations
- Spread Spectrum techniques
- Example wireless systems
Student Assessment Criteria
| Weekly Homework | 30% |
| mid term | 30% |
| final | 30% |
| weekly discussion | 10% |
mid term and final are usually take home exams
Computer and Technical Requirements
Experience with Matlab will be helpful but is not required.
Participation Expectations
Almost weekly homework assignment. Exams are usually take home.
Textbooks
Textbook information for this course is available online through the MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore.
Course Notes
There are notes for this course.
Final Words from the Instructor
This is more of a design course than a survey of wireless standards. We use functional models of the wireless components and elements to examine the operation and limitation of generic wireless systems. The goal is to not learn individual standards but to learn the basis of the standards and why they are implemented as they are; what tradeoffs were made and why.
(Last Modified: 08-16-2009 at 8:23:26 PM)