ECE 590-001: Wireless Communications and Networking
Fall 2009

Science and Technology I, Room 126
Thursdays 4:30pm-7:10pm

Course Description:
Wireless communications and networks have become ubiquitous technologies in the past two decades. This course covers the basic principles of wireless communications and wireless network architectures.

Who should take the course:
The course is intended for graduate students majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. Students should have a strong background in applied probability (at the level of STAT 346), communication systems (at the level of ECE 460), and related concepts at the undergraduate level. The course provides a foundation for further study of wireless communications and networking (e.g., ECE 731, ECE 732, and ECE 741).

Textbook: Wireless Communications and Networking by J.W. Mark and W. Zhuang, Prentice-Hall, 2003.
In addition, some supplementary materials will be made available to students via this web page.

Instructor:  Brian L. Mark
                     tel: 703-993-4069,  fax: 703-993-1601
                     email: bmark AT gmu DOT edu
                     Office:   Engineering Building, Room 3220
                     Office Hours:   Tuesdays, 3-5pm or by appointment

Grading (tentative):  Homework=10%, Small Projects = 20%, Midterm Exam = 30%, Final Exam = 40%.

• Overview
• Challenges in wireless networking
• Wireless communications standards
• Characterization of the Wireless Channel
• Multipath propagation
• Linear time-variant model
• Channel correlation function
• Path loss and shadowing
• Small-scale multipath fading
• Bandpass transmission for mobile radio
• Signal space and decision regions
• Digital modulation (MPSK, MSK, GMSK, OFDM)
• Power spectral density
• Probability of transmission error
• Receiver techniques for fading dispersive channels
• Channel impairment mitigation techniques
• Diversity
• Channel equalization
• Linear equalization
• Decision feedback equalization
• Fundmentals of cellular communications
• Frequency reuse and mobility management
• Cell cluster concept
• Cochannel and adjacent channel interference
• Call blocking and delay at cell site
• Mechanisms for capacity increase
• Channel assignment strategies
• Multiple access techniques
• Multiple access in a radio cell
• Random access (Aloha, CSMA)
• Conflict-free multiple access (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA)
• Spectral efficiency
• Mobility management in wireless networks
• Call admission control
• Handoff management
• Location managment for cellular and PCS networks
• Traffic calculation
• Wireless Internet
• Packet-level wireless channel models
• Mobile IP
• Multimedia wireless services
• All-IP wireless networks

Schedule:

Sep. 3	Characterization of the Wireless Channel (Chapter 2)
Sep. 10	Characterization of the Wireless Channel (Chapter 2)
Sep. 17	Bandpass Transmission Techniques for Mobile Radio (Chapter 3)
Sep. 24	Bandpass Transmission Techniques for Mobile Radio (Chapter 3)
Oct. 1	Bandpass Transmission Techniques for Mobile Radio (Chapter 3)
Oct. 8	Bandpass Transmission Techniques for Mobile Radio (Chapter 3)
Oct. 15	Receiver Techniques for Fading Dispersive Channels (Chapter 4)
Oct. 22	Receiver Techniques for Fading Dispersive Channels (Chapter 4)
Oct. 29	Midterm Exam
Nov. 5	Fundamentals of Cellular Communications (Chapter 5)
Nov. 12	Fundamentals of Cellular Communications (Chapter 5)
Nov. 19	Multiple Access Techniques (Chapter 6)
Nov. 27	Thanksgiving Recess
Dec. 3	Multiple Access Techniques (Chapter 6)
Dec. 10	Multiple Access Techniques (Chapter 6)

Homework Assignments: Homework problems will be assigned roughly weekly. Homework is due at the beginning of the next class from when it is assigned, i.e., at 4:30pm. Late homeworks will not be accepted. If you cannot make it to class to hand in the homework assignment, please make arrangements to hand it in before the due date.

Sample solutions will be posted after the graded homework assignments have been returned to the students. Homework assignments must be prepared and submitted individually. Copying of homework solutions constitutes a violation of the University honor code.

Small projects: Two relatively small computer-based projects related to the course material will be assigned, each project to be completed in groups of two.

Midterm Exam: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 (in-class).

Final Exam:   Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, 4:30pm-7:15pm.

last updated: Nov. 16, 2009.