ECE 439 (Spring 2022): Wireless Networks


Course Description:

Wireless and mobile systems have become ubiquitous; playing a significant role in our everyday life. However, the increasing demand for wireless connectivity and the emergence of new areas such as the Internet of Things has led to new wireless technologies. This course gives an overview of wireless network architectures including cellular networks, local area networks, multi-hop wireless networks such as ad hoc networks, mesh networks, and sensor networks; capacity of wireless networks; medium access control, routing protocols, and transport protocols for wireless networks; mechanisms to improve performance and security in wireless networks; energy-efficient protocols for sensor networks.


Due to unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases, the course will be taught online through Zoom. We will consider moving to in person lectures if the cases subside and all students feel comfortable and safe coming to class. In the meantime, students are expected to attend the live lectures and ask questions. However, in case of a conflict with another class or being in a differnet `time zone, all lectures will be recorded and made available to students via Piazza.

Lecture Time & Location: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 am - 10:50 am US Central Time on Zoom.

Instructor: Haitham Hassanieh (haitham@illinois.edu)

TA: Waleed Ahmed (waleed3@illinois.edu)

Office Hours: Haitham: Thursday 10:50 am - 11:30 am on Zoom.
Waleed: TBD TBD on Zoom.

Zoom: All zoom links + Lecture videos are posted to Piazza.

Piazza: http://piazza.com/illinois/spring2022/ececs439/home

Gradescope: https://www.gradescope.com, Sign Up Code: N8B4RN

Textbook: Lecture notes and slides, no textbook



Grading:
  • 40% Homeworks:
  • 5 homeworks to be submitted on Gradescope. HWs typically released one week before the due date which is typically Fridays at 2pm. HWs can be done in groups of 2 and can be submitted up to 10 hrs late without any penalty.

  • 30% Labs:
  • 3 labs to be submitted on Gradescope. Labs typically released two to three weeks before the due date which is typically Fridays at 2pm. The labs require coding in Matlab. They can be done in groups of 2 and can be submitted up to 10 hrs late without any penalty.

  • 30% Exams:
  • 2 take home exams covering different parts of the course. The exams will be released on Friday and are due on Sunday. Exams must be done individually without any assistance and must be submitted on time.


Note: This schedule is tentative and subject to change over time due to unforeseen events. Please check it regularly.

# MondayTuesday WednesdayThursday Friday
1 Jan. 17

Jan. 18
LEC 1: Introduction

Jan. 19
Jan. 20
LEC 2: Radio Basics

Jan. 21
2 Jan. 24

Jan. 25
LEC 3: Wireless Channel 1

Jan. 26
Jan. 27
LEC 4: Wireless Channel 2

Jan. 28
3 Jan. 31

Feb. 1
LEC 5: Modulation 1 & Pulse Shaping

Feb. 2
Feb. 3
LEC 6: Modulation 2

Feb. 4
HW 1 Due
4 Feb. 7

Feb. 8
LEC 7: Modulation 3

Feb. 9
Feb. 10
LEC 8: OFDM 1

Feb. 11
5 Feb. 14

Feb. 15
LEC 9: OFDM 2

Feb. 16
Feb. 17
LEC 10: Coding & Rate Adaptation

Feb. 18
HW 2 Due
6 Feb. 21

Feb. 22
LEC 11: MIMO 1

Feb. 23
Feb. 24
LEC 12:MIMO 2

Feb. 25
7 Feb. 28

Mar. 1
LEC 13: MAC 1: Alloha, CSMA

Mar. 2
Mar. 3
LEC 14: MAC 2: FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, OFDMA

Mar. 4
Take Home Exam 1
8 Mar. 7

Mar. 8
LEC 15: WiFi & Bluetooth

Mar. 9
Mar. 10
LEC 16: Cellular Networks: 3G, 4G, 5G

Mar. 11
Lab 1 Due

Mar. 14
Spring Break

Mar. 15
Spring Break

Mar. 16
Spring Break

Mar. 17
Spring Break

Mar. 18
Spring Break

9 Mar. 21

Mar. 22
LEC 17: IoT: LoRA & RFID

Mar. 23

Mar. 24
LEC 18: Wireless Localization

Mar. 25
HW 3 Due
10 Mar. 28

Mar. 29
LEC 19: Radar: UWB & FMCW

Mar. 30
Mar. 31
LEC 20: Device Free Localization & Sensing

Apr. 1
11 Apr. 4

Apr. 5
LEC 21: Routing 1: Wireless Mesh and Adhoc Networks

Apr. 6
Apr. 7
LEC 22: Routing 2: Opportunistic Routing

Apr. 8
Lab 2 Due

12 Apr. 11

Apr. 12
LEC 23: Network Coding

Apr. 13
Apr. 14
LEC 24: Cross Layer Networking

Apr. 15
HW 4 Due
13 Apr. 19

Apr. 20
LEC 25: Full Duplex Radios

Apr. 20
Apr. 21
LEC 26: Intelligent Reflective Surfaces

Apr. 22
14 Apr. 25

Apr. 26
LEC 27: LEO: Low Earth Orbit Satellites

Apr. 27
Apr. 28
LEC 28: Wireless and Machine Learning

Apr. 29
Lab 3 Due
HW 5 Due

15 May. 2

May. 3
Wrap-up and review for take-home exam 2

May. 4
Last Day of Instructions

May. 5
Reading Day
May. 6
Take Home Exam 2