Software helps optimize simulations of 5G MIMO systems

Remcom announces the release of Wireless InSite® MIMO, a new version of its site-specific radio propagation software that simulates the detailed multipath of large numbers of MIMO channels while overcoming the increased level of computations required for traditional ray tracing methods.

With a tremendous increase in the number of connected devices and mobile data demand predicted over the next decade, the wireless communications industry is exploring new technologies to accommodate 5G wireless data systems, including solutions based on MIMO (multiple input multiple output).  With Massive MIMO, large antenna arrays can use techniques such as beamforming to provide data streams to multiple users within the same frequency band in a small cell.  In an urban environment, signals can travel over many paths; this multipath causes the channel characteristics across an array of antennas to be extremely complex, particularly with devices in motion.  Simulating these effects is critical for predicting MIMO system performance.

Wireless InSite’s MIMO capability makes it possible to predict accurate path data between each transmitting and receiving element with precision and reveals key channel characteristics in a timely manner.  With optimizations that minimize runtime and memory constraints, Wireless InSite is able to efficiently simulate even the large arrays present in Massive MIMO systems.

Michael Hicks, Remcom’s director of business development, said, “Users no longer have to choose between performance or accuracy; data can be collected for each element in an array without a significant increase in runtime over a SISO system.  And unlike other offerings in the market, Wireless InSite provides the actual and exact ray paths, eliminating  the need for empirical assumptions.”

Wireless InSite’s MIMO array builder gives users the ability to create 1D, 2D, and 3D antenna arrays.  Users have control over every aspect of their model and can define unique antenna patterns and orientations for each element.  All data is accessible, allowing results to be visualized within the context of the scene, as a 2D plot, or exported to a file.  Outputs include received power, complex channel matrix or H-matrix, complex impulse response, times of arrival, directions of arrival, and directions of departure for multipath.

Greg Skidmore, Remcom’s director of propagation software and government services, said, “It’s an exciting time for the telecommunications industry, with new and rapidly changing technologies to explore.  Remcom is proud to be at the forefront of this research, offering a tool that engineers and researchers can trust as they continue to evaluate 5G concepts and test potential MIMO solutions.”

To learn more, see Remcom’s application example “5G Massive MIMO Outdoor Communications Analysis,” which demonstrates the analysis of a Massive MIMO base station and a mobile device in downtown Rosslyn, VA.