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Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems

The use of wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies has become increasingly popular since the IEEE 802.11b standard for WLAN was published in 1999. As more users connect to WLANs, more devices will be active in any given area, requiring increasingly larger data link capacity to support increasingly data-intensive applications.

The major limitation encountered when developing wireless technologies is that as capacity increases so too must the spectrum and/or transmitting power. To combat this problem, the use of multiple antennas at both ends has been proposed – popularly known as a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO).

We are developing a powerful multi-channel test bed to allow the testing of algorithms in real multipath radio environments. This test bed measures channel impulse response of a wide band signal (40MHz/channel) over a 5 GHz ISM band in a 4X4 configuration. Channel properties like amplitude and phase distribution, temporal and spatial correlation can be extracted. Various transceiver architecture and space-time codes can also be tested on this test bed.

Using the recently developed wideband 4x4 (four transmitting/four receiving antennas) MIMO testbed, CSIRO has successfully transmitted data packets at 486 Mbps within a 40 MHz bandwidth in an indoor environment.  This is eight times the current standard maximum. This transmission is believed to be an Australian-first, and one of very few in the world

This test bed is being developed in co-operation with companies who are developing chipsets, to demonstrate MIMO implementation and to explore theoretical approaches to maximising its benefits.

This product will provide research services, leading to IP generation to be exploited by licensing, patents and spin-offs.