The field of wireless networking has seen tremendous growth over the last two decades. The purpose of this course is to introduce this field to students (COMP 431, or a similar eperience, is a prerequisite for this course). The Spring 2024 offering is specifically designed to serve three purposes:
Provide sufficient background for understanding fundamental issues in wireless networks,
Familiarize with the latest developments in wireless networks, and
Use hands-on projects involving wireless technologies and/or mobile devices, to explore open issues in this field.
The course will include:
Lectures on the core background material;
Paper review and presentations (focused mainly on Physical layer, MAC protocols, Measurements techniques, Cross-layer design); and
Semester-long projects investigating open issues in wireless networks and mobile communication (topics chosen based on students' interests).
The first part of the course (background topics) will discuss how a wireless transmission impacts and guides mechanisms in several different layers of the protocol stack. These will include:
History of different types of wireless technologies
Cellular Systems, Satellite Systems, Broadcast Systems, Wireless LANs
Physical characteristics of wireless transmission (including signals, antennas, multiplexing, modulation, interference, spread spectrum, frequency planning)
Medium Access Control
Coordinated access (TDMA-based, CDMA-based, …)
Random Access (802.11)
Mobile network layer issues
Mobile IP
Ad-hoc routing
Transport layer issues in mobile networks
Wireless TCP
The second part of the course will discuss recent ideas that are revolutionizing the field — including those on using wireless transmissions for purposes much beyond communication.