Wireless communication has already changed the way people communicate with each other. With the progress of techniques related wireless communications, many innovative ways of communication have become a reality, thus making it possible for people to communicate with anyone or any device at any time or any place. The most typical examples are the exponentially growing cellular phones and the ubiquitous WiFi coverage. However, what is more exciting is that we continue to see new systems and applications, such as wireless sensor networks, automated highways and factories, driverless cars and unmanned stores, smart homes and appliances, and telemedicine, are emerging from research ideas or laboratories to concrete systems.

That is why wireless communications is an important course for students and engineers specialized in telecommunication engineering.

In this course, we will learn the fundamental of wireless communications. What is wireless communication, the main challenges, how to describe and evaluate the wireless channel, how the channel affect the performance of a wireless system and how to overcome these problems. We also discuss how a wireless system works. 

This course includes 8 chapters. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the wireless communications, includes the history, the technical challenges, wireless systems and standards. Chapter 2 and 3 discuss the wireless channels. Chapter 2 deals with the large-scale path loss and shadowing, while chapter 3 presents the small-scale fading and statistical multipath channel. In Chapter 4, we discuss the digital modulations and their performance over wireless channels. Chapter 5 to 7 discuss the techniques used in communiqués to overcome the problems caused by the fading. Chapter 5 discusses diversity, channel coding and equalization. In Chapter 6, we discuss spread spectrum systems and spread spectrum with Rake receiver. Chapter 7 deals with multicarrier modulation and multi-antenna systems. In chapter 8, we discuss techniques necessary to build a cellular system, such as duplexing, multiple access, and cellular design fundamentals. We also include a simplified cellular system to ensure the reader understand how a cellular system works. 

The important feature of this course is that we intend to help student to understand wireless communication more quickly and simply. We do not discuss the standard wireless system, which involves more concepts and more factors resulting from the balance of interests in the formation of standards. We try not to use complex mathematical derivations when explaining concepts, but instead provide relatively intuitive and easy-to-understand explanations from a physical sense. This makes it easier for students to understand and combine with actual systems, and learn the wireless system analysis and design.

The course is accompanied by PPTs and related lectures.

In this course, we will learn the fundamental of wireless communications. What is wireless communication, the main challenges, how to describe and evaluate the wireless channel, how the channel affect the performance of a wireless system and how to overcome these problems. We will also learrn how a wireless system is structured and works.

Students taking this course are expected to have fundamental knowledge of random signal analysis and principles of communications.

BIn Tian, Wireless Communications, De Gruyter, Science Press, 2024