Advanced Communication Systems - 2022 entry

The fast, reliable and low-power communication of information is critical to our modern technologically-oriented world. Increasingly such communications are carried out wirelessly. In this module you will learn about the fundamental operating principles of wireless devices and systems, what factors drive their design, and their current and likely future applications. This includes the Internet of Things, or IoT, which is the network of Internet-based smart devices, or “Things”, that integrate embedded processors, sensors and communication hardware to collect and exchange data.   You will be introduced to some mainstream communication technologies used in IoT and  the state-of-the-art autonomous sensing technologies. We will also explore fibre-optic communications systems, and potential future developments such as LiFi.  

This module introduces you to the fundamental principles of advanced communications, from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. The aim is to allow you to understand the requirements, methods and limitations of current communication methods and systems, and to design and simulated/implement communications systems in the laboratory.

1: Introduction to wireless communication systems:

2: Wireless channels:

3: Advanced modulation techniques:

4: Transmitter and receiver requirements and design (antennas):

5: Noise, power budget and SNR considerations: 6: Wi-fi and wireless local area networks (WLAN):

7: Bluetooth and Zigbee signalling and systems: 8: Mobile communications systems: from GSM to 5G:

9: Optical fibre communication systems: 10: Devices and systems for the Internet-of-Things (IoT):

11: Network security:

12: Future developments:

None

Reassessment will be by a single written exam only worth 100% of the module. For deferred candidates, the mark will be uncapped. For referred candidates, the mark will be capped at 50%.

Reading list for this module: