Wireless Networking (COM3525):

Wireless and mobile networks experienced a continuous growth during the last years and are expected to provide more and more services in the near future. Development of wireless communication systems requires solving several challenging problems. This course covers both theoretical issues related to wireless networking and practical systems for both wireless data networks and cellular wireless telecommunication systems. Students will also work on a project that addresses some recent research issues in wireless and mobile networking.

 

The course will cover the following topics:

·        Overview of the wireless environment and wireless communication systems: slides

·        Fundamentals of radio communications: radio-waves propagation characteristics, channel models: slides

·        Modulation, channel coding, channel estimation, etc.

·        Channel multiple access schemes for wireless networks (e.g., FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, SDMA), and medium access control schemes for wireless networks.

·        Wireless internet: wireless local area networks (e.g., IEEE802.11, Hiperlan2, Bluetooth), routing in multi-hop Ad-hoc wireless networks (e.g., TORA, DSR, DSDV), mobile IP, and TCP improvements for wireless links

·        Cellular telecommunication systems: second generation systems (GSM, IS95, IS54), and third generation systems (EDGE, CDMA200, WCDMA)

·        Quality of service in the context of wireless networks: adaptive radio resource management (planning, dynamic/static - distributed/centralized frequency/time-slot/code allocation, adaptive coding), and power saving.

 

Course prerequisite: COM3510 or COM3515.

 

Course grading (preliminary):

·        Quiz: 4*5% = 20%

·        Midterm: 30%

·        Project: 50%

o       20%: literature survey/report

o       20%: implementation/simulation

o       10%: presentation

 

Projects topics (if you have an idea for a project topic please propose it):

  1. Development of a low data-rate wireless gateway (based on uCLinux boards and RF Monolithics 915MHz transceivers). Requires knowledge of linux and basic HW design.
  2. Simulation of routing protocols of wireless multi-hop ad-hoc networks using ns2 environment (e.g., DSDV, DSR, AODV).
  3. Cellular systems radio resource management: analysis and simulation of radio resource management algorithms for wireless cellular communication systems (Dynamic Channel Assignment).
  4. Cellular systems radio resource management: Base-Stations placement.
  5. Development of a simple environment for simulating wireless signals propagation and nodes mobility.
  6. Analysis and simulation of adaptive algorithms to improve IEEE802.11 WLAN.
  7. Analysis and simulation of the performance of Bluetooth scatternets.
  8. Broadcast/multicast protocols of wireless multi-hop ad hoc networks.
  9. Analysis of power consumption in low-power devices.
  10. Efficient routing and medium access control schemes for sensor networks.
  11. Internet Protocols for the 3rd generation of wireless cellular communication systems.
  12. Cryptographically enforced fairness in wireless multi-hop ad-hoc networks.
  13. Co-existence issues of Bluetooth and IEEE802.11.