Spatial characteristics of the MIMO wireless channel: experimental data acquisition and analysis

Detailed performance assessment of space-time coding algorithms in realistic channels is critically dependent upon accurate knowledge of the wireless channel spatial characteristics. This paper presents an experimental measurement platform capable of providing the channel transfer matrix for indoor and outdoor wireless communications scenarios. The system allows direct measurement of key multiple input multiple output parameters for 16 transmit and 16 receive antennas. The basic hardware blocks are outlined, and the data post-processing algorithms are presented. Representative data showing channel capacity and spatial correlation for several indoor sites are provided.