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EEL6591 Wireless Networks

Spring 2025

Course Description

Design and analysis of wireless networks including channel characteristics, physical layer, cellular concepts, multiple access control protocols, FEC and ARQ protocols, resource allocation, and wireless standards.

Course Objective

By the end of this course, students will know the basic operation and design of a wireless system, specifically, the key features of the 5th Generation (5G) mobile networks. The students will gain insight into the key areas of research that will define this new system technology paving the path towards future research and development. Students will learn how wireless networks are designed, how to do wireless network simulations, and how to critically evaluate recent research papers. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

EEL 5718/4598 Computer Communications
Basic knowledge of probability and statistics.

Textbooks

(Many of these books are on electronic reserve, and can be accessed within Canvas (Course Reserves menu link))

Required Textbook:
Reference (Optional) Textbooks
  • Principles of Wireless Access and Localization by K. Pahlavan and P. Krishnamurthy, Wiley, November 2013. ISBN-13: 978-0470697085 ISBN-10: 0470697083
    • Provides fundamental concepts
    • Older Version:  Principles of Wireless Networks: A Unified Approach. This 2001 version is out of print, but has similar fundamentals chapters. It can possibly be found cheaper, or free, in a Google search. 
      K. Pahlavan and P. Krishnamurthy, Prentice Hall, December 2001. ISBN-13: 978-0130930033 ISBN-10: 0130930032
  • Wireless Communications and Networks,
    W. Stallings, Prentice-Hall, 2002. ISBN 0-13-040864-6
    Provides an applications-oriented perspective
  • If you need a textbook to provide background in computer communications:
    Alberto Leon-Garcia, Communication Networks, McGraw-Hill, 2nd ed., 2003. “ISBN-10” 007246352X (“ISBN-13”9780072463521 )

Computer requirements

  • Access to a networked computer is needed for the simulation project and some homework problems (e.g., MatLab, C/C++, ns-2)
  • If you need remote access to the ECE computer lab, you must create an account. More information is available on the ECE IT Resources page. Contact instructor for more info.

Lecture Topics

  • TDMA Cellular Systems (2G)
  • Cellular Network Grids
  • Frequency Reuse, Path Loss, and SIR
  • Network Capacity and Traffic Load
  • Mobility Management
  • OFDM Cellular Systems
  • Multi-tier Architectures
  • Software-Defined Networks
  • Open-Radio Access Networks (Open RAN)

Grading

Grades are based on the following:

Participation (in class and in group) 10%
Homework and Labs 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Demos 20%
Final Report 10%

There is not a laboratory section for this course.

Participation

Productive participation in the class and in the project group is necessary the course. In class (even online), students are expected to read the listed textbook sections for the lecture before-hand and to come prepared to discuss and comment. Occasionally, there may be a reading quiz in class. Students are also expected to attend the meetings of their project groups; respond in a timely manner to gatorlink emails using the group’s decided mode of communication; equally participate in group projects and presentations (proposal and demo); and to complete the tasks necessary for a successful project.

Homework

The homework will be based on theory and examples from the textbook, and examples from the instructor’s class notes,

Midterm Exam

The Midterm Exam will be a qualitative and quantitative exam that covers the material in the first half of the course schedule.

Demos

Each person in a group is expected to demo during the group’s Mininet WiFi labs and project.

Final Written Report

The final written report is a summary of the project, including any necessary changes made and challenges/successes.

Online Policy

Online Course Recording
Our class sessions may be audio visually recorded for students in the class to refer back and for enrolled students who are unable to attend live. Students who participate with their camera engaged or utilize a profile image are agreeing to have their video or image recorded. If you are unwilling to consent to have your profile or video image recorded, be sure to keep your camera off and do not use a profile image. Likewise, students who un-mute during class and participate orally are agreeing to have their voices recorded. If you are not willing to consent to have your voice recorded during class, you will need to keep your mute button activated and communicate exclusively using the “chat” feature, which allows students to type questions and comments live.