Using MATLAB and Simulink, educators can:
- Teach fundamentals of digital communication, antenna design, and advanced mobile communication
- Use apps and visualizations to demonstrate concepts, including waveform generation, antenna design, and RF budget analysis
- Provide students with hands-on experience using software-defined radio (SDR) and other supported hardware devices
- Explore, model, and test candidate 6G waveforms and AI for wireless communications applications
- Prepare students for careers in industry with MATLAB and Simulink Challenge Projects nominated by industry leaders
- Explore resources on File Exchange and GitHub
Industry Examples
“We use MATLAB models to optimize and verify the 5G RF front end through all phases of development.”
Sean Lynch, Qualcomm UK Ltd.
Wireless Communications Course Topics
Wireless Communications
Use MATLAB and Simulink for teaching fundamental concepts, including modulation schemes, error correction codes, MIMO, beamforming, and wireless standards, with interactive apps for modeling, simulation, and visualization. Integrate digital baseband, RF, and antenna components to simulate real-world wireless communication systems and analyze system performance without needing physical hardware in the classroom. Prototype wireless algorithms by integrating with SDR hardware.
Resources
- Digital Communications Course - File Exchange
- Introductory Communication Systems Course Using SDR - File Exchange
- Introduction to OFDM - Documentation
- Introduction to MIMO Systems - Example
- Introduction to Hybrid Beamforming - Example
- Generate and Transmit Wireless Waveforms - Documentation
- Analyze Performance of a Communication System - Documentation
Antenna and RF Design
Use simulations and dynamic visualizations with LiveScripts to teach the fundamentals of electromagnetics. Use apps to design and analyze physical antenna elements, antenna arrays, and RF architectures with multiple RF elements. Link concepts across wireless courses by integrating digital baseband, RF front-end, and antenna design with MATLAB and Simulink.
Resources
- Visualizing Electromagnetic Fields - File Exchange
- Design, Visualize, and Analyze Antennas - Documentation
- Matching Network Designer - Documentation
- Superheterodyne Receiver - Example
- RF Design - Resource Library
- Antenna and EM Modeling with MATLAB Antenna Toolbox - Book
Prototyping with Software Defined Radios
Connect MATLAB with SDRs and RF instruments to transmit or acquire live I/Q data over the air for analysis and visualization. Use SDRs with MATLAB and Simulink to implement and test transmitter and receiver algorithms and analyze the complete design of wireless systems. Integrate hands-on RF and SDR exercises in courses and labs through ready-made examples and courseware resources.
Resources
- What Is Software-Defined Radio? - Discovery
- Introductory Communication Systems Course Using SDR - Courseware
- Digital Communications Course - Courseware
- Software-Defined Radio for Engineers - Book
- ADALM-PLUTO Radio | RTL-SDR | USRP - Support Packages
- 5G NR Waveform Acquisition and Analysis - Example
AI for Wireless
Use MATLAB and Simulink to build, model, test, and integrate AI in wireless communication systems. Teach students the fundamentals of machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning for wireless using interactive apps, self-paced courses, and examples. Use MATLAB and Simulink to generate training data through simulation, capture over-the-air signal data, and augment datasets with RF impairments and channel effects. Streamline training, validation, testing, and deployment of AI models for wireless applications.
Resources
- AI for Wireless - Solutions
- AI - Self-Paced Online Courses
- Deep Learning - Tutorials and Examples
- AI for Wireless Communication Systems with MATLAB - Ebook
- Autoencoders for Wireless Communications - Example
- AI for UE Positioning in 5G - Example
- AI and Machine Learning for CSI Feedback Enhancement in 5G - Example