What You Should Know About MIMO Operation and Measurement

MIMO techniques are becoming a popular combination with OFDM radio formats because they offer the possibility of increased spectral efficiency. The first commercially available MIMO system was in WLAN, but the interest has spread to cellular formats including WiMAX and LTE. Each format has adopted slightly different techniques and terminology, sometimes making it a little difficult to be sure what is being discussed.

MIMO systems also introduce a new dimension in test - that of the cross coupling of signals between hardware transmit and receive paths. This gives rise to new performance measurement techniques to augment the single channel tests that remain the starting point.

A selection from Agilent’s “Ten Things You Should Know About MIMO” are presented in this paper, with the intention of giving the user an overview of the operation of MIMO technology and test methodology. Each item uses an example to highlight the impact on the radio system or associated test. A poster that summarizes all ten points is available from Agilent on request (order information can be found at the end of this paper).

This exclusive White Paper from Agilent Technologies is available only for registered users of Microwave Journal.