INTRODUCTION TO WIRELESS

COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

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What is Wireless and

Mobile Communication?

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 General structure of a communication system

Noise
Transmitted Received Received
Info. signal signal info.
SOURC
Source Transmitter Channel Receiver User
E

Transmitter

Source Channel
Formatter Modulator
encoder encoder

Receiver

Source Channel
Formatter Demodulator
decoder decoder

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Wireless Communication

 Transmitting voice, data, video using

electromagnetic waves in open space
 Electromagnetic waves
 Travel at speed of light (c = 3x108 m/s)
 Has a frequency (f) and wavelength ()
 c=fx
 Higher frequency means higher energy photons
 The higher the energy photon the more penetrating is
the radiation

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 EM Spectrum

ISM band
902 – 928 Mhz
2.4 – 2.4835 Ghz
5.725 – 5.785 Ghz

LF MF HF VHF UHF SHF EHF


30kHz 300kHz 3MHz 30MHz 300MHz 3GHz 30GHz 300GHz

10m 1m 10cm 1cm 100mm 

10km 1km 100m

X rays
Gamma rays
 infrared visible UV
1 kHz 1 MHz 1 GHz 1 THz 1 PHz 1 EHz

Propagation characteristics are different in each frequency band

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Wavelength of Some Technologies

 GSM Phones:
 frequency ~= 900 Mhz
 wavelength ~= 33cm
 PCS Phones
 frequency ~= 1.8 Ghz
 wavelength ~= 17.5 cm
 Bluetooth:
 frequency ~= 2.4Gz
 wavelength ~= 12.5cm

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Frequency Carries/Channels

 The information from sender to receiver is carrier

over a well defined frequency band.
 This is called a channel
 Each channel has a fixed frequency bandwidth (in
KHz) and Capacity (bit-rate)
 Different frequency bands (channels) can be used
to transmit information in parallel and
independently.

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Example
 Assume a spectrum of 90KHz is allocated over a base
frequency b for communication between stations A and B
 Assume each channel occupies 30KHz.
 There are 3 channels
 Each channel is simplex (Transmission occurs in one way)
 For full duplex communication:
 Use two different channels (front and reverse channels)
 Use time division in a channel

Channel 1 (b - b+30)

Station A Channel 2 (b+30 - b+60) Station B

Channel 3 (b+60 - b+90)

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 Bandwidth of signal …
 Different definition of bandwidth:
a) Half-power bandwidth d) Fractional power containment bandwidth
b) Noise equivalent bandwidth e) Bounded power spectral density
c) Null-to-null bandwidth f) Absolute bandwidth

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

(e)50dB

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Simplex Communication

 Normally, on a channel, a station can

transmit only in one way.
 This is called simplex transmision
 To enable two-way communication (called
full-duplex communication)
 We can use Frequency Division Multiplexing
 We can use Time Division Multiplexing

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Duplex Communication - FDD

 FDD: Frequency Division Duplex

Mobile Forward Channel Base Station

Terminal B
Reverse Channel
M

Forward Channel and Reverse Channel use different frequency

bands

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Duplex Communication - TDD

 TDD: Time Division Duplex

Mobile Base Station

Terminal M B M B M B
B
M

A singe frequency channel is used. The channel is divided into time

slots. Mobile station and base station transmits on the time slots
alternately.

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 Wireless System Definitions

 Simplex Systems
 Communication systems which provide only one-way
communication
 Half Duplex Systems
 Communication Systems which allow two-way
communication by using the same radio channel for both
transmission and reception. At any given time, the user can
either transmit or receive information.
 Full Duplex Systems
 Communication systems which allow simultaneous two-way
communication. Transmission and reception is typically on
two different channels (FDD).

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Major Mobile Radio Standards

USA
Standard Type Year Multiple Frequency Modulation Channel
Intro Access Band BW
(MHz) (KHz)
AMPS Cellular 1983 FDMA 824-894 FM 30

USDC Cellular 1991 TDMA 824-894 DQPSK 30

CDPD Cellular 1993 FH/Packet 824-894 GMSK 30

IS-95 Cellular/PCS 1993 CDMA 824-894 QPSK/BPSK 1250

1800-2000
FLEX Paging 1993 Simplex Several 4-FSK 15

DCS-1900 PCS 1994 TDMA 1850-1990 GMSK 200

(GSM)
PACS Cordless/PCS 1994 TDMA/FDMA 1850-1990 DQPSK 300

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 Major Mobile Radio Standards -
Europe
Standard Type Year Multiple Frequency Modulation Channel
Intro Access Band BW
(MHz) (KHz)
ETACS Cellular 1985 FDMA 900 FM 25

NMT-900 Cellular 1986 FDMA 890-960 FM 12.5

GSM Cellular/PCS 1990 TDMA 890-960 GMSK 200KHz

C-450 Cellular 1985 FDMA 450-465 FM 20-10

ERMES Paging 1993 FDMA4 Several 4-FSK 25

CT2 Cordless 1989 FDMA 864-868 GFSK 100

DECT Cordless 1993 TDMA 1880-1900 GFSK 1728

DCS-1800 Cordless/PCS 1993 TDMA 1710-1880 GMSK 200

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Physical Layers of Wireless Communications

 WiFi (IEEE 802.11)

 Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15)
 Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4)
 RFID

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 IEEE 802 - Wireless Standards
IEEE 802.11

 Designed for high data-rate networks

 Internet/LAN connectivity

 Entertainment systems

 Streaming video

 High power
 Device power device lifetime: 2~3 hrs (laptops)
 Wired power supplied in most cases

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IEEE 802.11

 Direct-sequence spread spectrum

 Operating in 2.4 GHz ISM band

 Data-rates of 1 and 2 Mbps

 Frequency-hopping spread spectrum

 Operating in 2.4 GHz ISM band

 Data rates of 1 and 2 Mbps

 Infrared
 1 and 2 Mbps

 Wavelength between 850 and 950 nm

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 IEEE 802.11

 IEEE 802.11a
 5-GHz band

 Provides rates of 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps

 Uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing

(OFDM)
 Sub-carrier modulated using BPSK, QPSK, 16-
QAM or 64-QAM

 IEEE 802.11b
 Provides data rates of 5.5 and 11 Mbps

 Complementary Code Keying (CCK) modulation

scheme
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IEEE 802.11

 IEEE 802.11a
 40 mW

 30 m range

 IEEE 802.11b
 100 mW

 100 m range

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 Bluetooth

 Designed for medium data-rate networks

 Computer cable replacement

 Gaming controllers

 Phone microphones

 Mobile device file transfer

 Fairly low power

 Device power lifetime is measured in weeks to months

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Bluetooth

 Unlicensed 2.4 GHz radio band

 ISM band

 Used by microwave ovens, 802.11

 Fast Frequency Hopping

 1600 hops per second

 79 channels

 1 MHz spacing

 200 μs switching time

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 Bluetooth - Power & Range

 Basic 10m range(0 dBm radio)

 Extended 100m range(20 dBm)

 Power classes
 Class 1

 Maximum output power: 100mW (20dBm)

 Minimum output power: 1mW (0dBm)

 Class 2

 Maximum output power: 2.5mW (4dBm)

 Minimum output power: 0.25mW (-6dBm)

 Class 3

 Maximum output power: 1mW (0dBm)

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Zigbee

 Designed for low data-rate systems

 Lighting

 Heating/Cooling

 Appliances

 Extremely Low Power

 Devices have lifetime measured in years

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 Zigbee
 2.4 GHz Band
 16-ary O-QPSK

 Sixteen 5 MHz channels

 Data-rate up to 250 Kbps

 868/915 MHz Band

 BPSK

 868 MHz European ISM band

 One 2 MHz channel

 20 kbps

 915 MHz North American ISM band

 Ten 2 MHz channels

 40 kbps

 DSSS
 Chooses from 16 nearly orthogonal PN sequences

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Zigbee - Power & Range

 Scalable transmit power to meet range requirements

 Low power
 1 mW transmit power

 10~20m range

 High power
 60 mW transmit power

 100m range

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 RFID

 Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID)

 A system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial
number) of an object wirelessly, using radio waves.

 RFID System
 RFID tag or transponder
 Antenna
 Wireless transducer
 Encapsulating material
 RFID reader or transceiver
 Antenna
 Transceiver RFID Tag
 Decoder
 Data processing subsystem

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RFID Frequency

 Frequency range
 Low-Frequency (LF)

 LF: 125 -134.2 kHz

 LF: 140 -148.5 kHz

 High-Frequency (HF)

 HF: 13.56 MHz

 Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF)

 UHF: 868 MHz -928 MHz

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Cellular Telephony

 Characterized by
 High mobility provision
 Wide-range
 Two-way tetherless voice communication
 Handoff and roaming support
 Integrated with sophisticated public switched
telephone network (PSTN)
 High transmit power requires at the handsets
(~2W)

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Cellular Telephony - Architecture

Radio tower

PSTN
Telephone
Network
Mobile Switching
Center

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Cellular Telephony Systems

 Mobile users and handsets

 Very complex circuitry and design
 Base stations
 Provides gateway functionality between wireless
and wireline links
 ~1 million dollar
 Mobile switching centers
 Connect cellular system to the terrestrial
telephone network

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Cellular Networks
 First Generation
 Analog Systems
 Analog Modulation, mostly FM
 AMPS
 Voice Traffic
 FDMA/FDD multiple access
 Second Generation (2G)
 Digital Systems
 Digital Modulation
 Voice Traffic
 TDMA/FDD and CDMA/FDD multiple access
 2.5G
 Digital Systems
 Voice + Low-datarate Data
 Third Generation
 Digital
 Voice + High-datarate Data
 Multimedia Transmission also

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 Mobile communication

 Aspects of mobility:
 user mobility: users communicate (wireless) “anytime, anywhere, with
anyone”
 device portability: devices can be connected anytime, anywhere to the
network
 Wireless vs. mobile Examples
  stationary computer
  notebook in a hotel
  wireless LANs in historic buildings
  Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
 The demand for mobile communication creates the need for integration of
wireless networks into existing fixed networks:
 local area networks: standardization of IEEE 802.11,

ETSI (HIPERLAN)
 Internet: Mobile IP extension of the internet protocol IP

 wide area networks: e.g., internetworking of GSM and ISDN

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Applications I

 Vehicles
 transmission of news, road condition, weather, music via
DAB
 personal communication using GSM

 position via GPS

 local ad-hoc network with vehicles close-by to prevent

accidents, guidance system, redundancy
 vehicle data (e.g., from busses, high-speed trains) can be
transmitted in advance for maintenance
 Emergencies
 early transmission of patient data to the hospital, current
status, first diagnosis
 replacement of a fixed infrastructure in case of earthquakes,
hurricanes, fire etc.
 crisis, war, ...

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 Typical application: road traffic

UMTS, WLAN,
DAB, GSM,
TETRA, ...

Personal Travel Assistant,

DAB, PDA, laptop,
GSM, UMTS, WLAN,
Bluetooth, ...

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Wireless networks in comparison to fixed networks

 Higher loss-rates due to interference

 emissions of, e.g., engines, lightning

 Restrictive regulations of frequencies

 frequencies have to be coordinated, useful frequencies are almost
all occupied
 Low transmission rates
 local some Mbit/s, regional currently, e.g., 9.6kbit/s with GSM

 Higher delays, higher jitter

 connection setup time with GSM in the second range, several

hundred milliseconds for other wireless systems

 Lower security, simpler active attacking
 radio interface accessible for everyone, base station can be

simulated, thus attracting calls from mobile phones

 Always shared medium
 secure access mechanisms important

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 Early history of wireless communication

 Many people in history used light for communication

 heliographs, flags („semaphore“), ...

 150 BC smoke signals for communication;

(Polybius, Greece)
 1794, optical telegraph, Claude Chappe

 Here electromagnetic waves are

of special importance:
 1831 Faraday demonstrates electromagnetic induction

 J. Maxwell (1831-79): theory of electromagnetic Fields, wave

equations (1864)
 H. Hertz (1857-94): demonstrates
with an experiment the wave character
of electrical transmission through space
(1886, in Karlsruhe, Germany, at the
location of today’s University of Karlsruhe)

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History of wireless communication I

 1895 Guglielmo Marconi

 first demonstration of wireless

telegraphy (digital!)
 long wave transmission, high

transmission power necessary (> 200kw)

 1907 Commercial transatlantic connections
 huge base stations

(30 100m high antennas)

 1915 Wireless voice transmission New York - San Francisco
 1920 Discovery of short waves by Marconi
 reflection at the ionosphere

 smaller sender and receiver, possible due to the invention of the

vacuum tube (1906, Lee DeForest and Robert von Lieben)

 1926 Train-phone on the line Hamburg - Berlin
 wires parallel to the railroad track

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 History of wireless communication II

 1928 many TV broadcast trials (across Atlantic, color TV, TV

news)
 1933 Frequency modulation (E. H. Armstrong)
 1958 A-Netz in Germany
 analog, 160MHz, connection setup only from the mobile station, no
handover, 80% coverage, 1971 11000 customers
 1972 B-Netz in Germany
 analog, 160MHz, connection setup from the fixed network too (but
location of the mobile station has to be known)
 available also in A, NL and LUX, 1979 13000 customer in D

 1979 NMT at 450MHz (Scandinavian countries)

 1982 Start of GSM-specification
 goal: pan-European digital mobile phone system with roaming

 1983 Start of the American AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone

System, analog)
 1984 CT-1 standard (Europe) for cordless telephones

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History of wireless communication III

 1986 C-Netz in Germany

 analog voice transmission, 450MHz, hand-over possible, digital

signaling, automatic location of mobile device

 still in use today (as T-C-Tel), services: FAX, modem, X.25, e-mail,
98% coverage
 1991 Specification of DECT
 Digital European Cordless Telephone (today: Digital Enhanced

Cordless Telecommunications)
 1880-1900MHz, ~100-500m range, 120 duplex channels, 1.2Mbit/s

data transmission, voice encryption, authentication, up to several

10000 user/km2, used in more than 40 countries
 1992 Start of GSM
 in D as D1 and D2, fully digital, 900MHz, 124 channels

 automatic location, hand-over, cellular

 roaming in Europe - now worldwide in more than 100 countries

 services: data with 9.6kbit/s, FAX, voice, ...

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 History of wireless communication IV

 1994 E-Netz in Germany

 GSM with 1800MHz, smaller cells, supported by 11 countries

 as Eplus in D (1997 98% coverage of the population)

 1996 HiperLAN (High Performance Radio Local Area Network)

 ETSI, standardization of type 1: 5.15 - 5.30GHz, 23.5Mbit/s

 recommendations for type 2 and 3 (both 5GHz) and 4 (17GHz) as

wireless ATM-networks (up to 155Mbit/s)
 1997 Wireless LAN - IEEE802.11
 IEEE-Standard, 2.4 - 2.5GHz and infrared, 2Mbit/s

 already many products (with proprietary extensions)

 1998 Specification of GSM successors

 for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) as

European proposals for IMT-2000

 Iridium
 66 satellites (+6 spare), 1.6GHz to the mobile phone

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Simple reference model used here

Application Application

Transport Transport

Network Network Network Network

Data Link Data Link Data Link Data Link

Physical Physical Physical Physical

Radio Medium

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 Influence of mobile communication to the layer model
Application layer  service location
 new applications, multimedia
 adaptive applications
Transport layer  congestion and flow control
 quality of service
Network layer  addressing, routing,
device location
 hand-over
Data link layer  authentication
 media access
 multiplexing
 media access control
Physical layer  encryption
 modulation
 interference
 attenuation
 frequency

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Wireless Systems: Range Comparison

1 m 10 m 100 m 1 Km 10 Km 100 Km 1,000 Km

Mobile FM MW SW Satellite
WLANs Telephony, Radio Radio Radio Links
IR Blueooth
WLL

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