Wireless Communications: Principles and Practice
Wireless Communications, Second Edition is the definitive professional's overview of wireless communications technology and system design. Building on his classic first edition, Theodore S. Rappaport reviews virtually every important new wireless standard and technological development, including W-CDMA, cdma2000, UMTS, and UMC 136/EDGE; IEEE 802.11 and HIPERLAN WLANs; Bluetooth, LMDS, and more. Includes dozens of practical new examples, solved step by step.
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you want a practical, system-level grounding in wireless communications: it links physical propagation and fading behavior to modulation, multiple-access and system design decisions. You will gain intuition and worked examples that make it easier to translate channel models and standards into DSP algorithms and link-budget calculations.
Who Will Benefit
Practicing communications and DSP engineers, graduate students, and system designers who need a practical reference on propagation, fading channels, modulation, multiple-access, and wireless standards.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic signals and systems, undergraduate-level probability and random processes, and familiarity with linear systems and basic digital communications concepts.
Key Takeaways
- Compute and apply link budgets and path-loss models for real-world wireless system planning.
- Model and analyze multipath fading statistically and predict its impact on system performance.
- Compare and evaluate modulation, detection, and error-control strategies used in cellular and WLAN systems.
- Explain and contrast multiple-access techniques (FDMA/TDMA/CDMA) and their impact on capacity.
- Relate contemporary wireless standards (GSM, cdma2000, W-CDMA, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth) to system design choices.
Topics Covered
- Introduction to Wireless Systems and History of Standards
- Radio Propagation Mechanisms and Path Loss Models
- Large-Scale Path Loss and Link Budgeting
- Small-Scale Multipath and Fading Models
- Statistical Characterization of Wireless Channels
- Digital Modulation and Detection in Fading Channels
- Error Control Coding and System Performance Measures
- Spread Spectrum and CDMA Principles
- Cellular System Design and Frequency Reuse
- Wireless LANs, Bluetooth, and Broadband Air Interfaces
- System Design Examples, Standards Overview, and Case Studies
- Regulatory, Antennas, and Practical Implementation Considerations
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More application- and standards-focused than David Tse & Pramod Viswanath's mathematically rigorous 'Fundamentals of Wireless Communication' and less DSP-centric than Bernard Sklar's 'Digital Communications', making Rappaport the more practical engineering companion.
