Overview

The course presents the fundamental principles, design issues, performance analysis, and military applications of infrastructure and ad hoc wireless packet switched networks. Radio wave propagation, wireless channel characteristic, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, transceiver design, channel coding, and other physical layer technologies are reviewed. Principles of wireless local area and wide area (cellular) networks are presented. Design and performance analysis of medium access control mechanisms - contention, reservation and scheduling - are covered. Mobile IP protocol is presented, and reactive and proactive protocols for routing in ad hoc networks are introduced. The performance of TCP over wireless networks is analyzed. Security in infrastructure and ad hoc networks is addressed. Sensor networks are introduced. Energy management is discussed. The widely used and emerging wireless networking standards are reviewed. Hardware laboratory assignments provide hands-on experience and OPNET projects allow simulation of large scale networks to complement the theory presented in the course.

Included in Degrees & Certificates

• 295
• 297

Prerequisites

• EC3710
• CS3502
• Or consent of instructor

Learning Outcomes

• Given the system operating parameters, the student will be able to propose alternative wireless network architectures, design wireless networks, and analyze and test their performance to ensure integration among heterogeneous wireless and wired systems.
• The student will be able to outline the system design issues in terms of network architecture, interoperability, security, quality of service, capacity, availability, reach, and mobility.
• The student will be able to list the widely used wireless networking standards and identify the associated technologies, system architectures, and protocols.
• Given the operating environment in which the network is to be deployed, the student will be able to use standard models, such as TIA’s JTC, to determine the network reach and desired node density.
• Given the channel bandwidth, the number of subcarriers, the range of values for signal-to-noise ratio, and the multipath delay spread, the student will be able to (a) calculate length of the OFDM frame, the cyclic prefix and the guard period, (b) select the appropriate modulation and channel coding schemes, and (c) determine the bit error performance.
• Given the channel and system parameters, the student will be able to determine the effective system throughput (capacity), delay, and other performance metrics.
• The student will be able to discuss the ad hoc networks and sensor networks and detail the advantages of clustered architecture over a layered architecture.
• Given the battery power constraints, transmission power requirements and the type of technology being used, the student will be able to propose energy management solutions for the system and discuss network availability and lifetime issues.
• The student will be able to demonstrate link connectivity, implement a multihop ad hoc network and capture packets.
• Given two standards-based wireless systems, the class will be able to integrate them, demonstrate interoperability, assess node mobility and network reach, and connect to wired infrastructure.