Hands-on wireless communication experience

This chapter introduces a wireless communication systems lab that will provide readers with the experience to design, test, and simulate wireless systems (along with wireless circuits) using modern instrumentation and computer-aided design software. The described laboratory based approach is developed in such a way that it can promote the understanding of other related wireless concepts at all levels: wireless systems, wireless networks, cognitive radio and software defined radio, digital baseband signal-processing algorithm development and hardware implementation, wireless circuits, wireless devices, and components. The chapter provides some examples for the co-simulation of system with hardware and test equipment, along with various device under test configurations. It also provides a model lab course as an example. The Wireless Communications Systems Laboratory course that has been offered at the electrical engineering department of University of South Florida is given as the example.