MIT researchers are developing a system that could triple the transmission speed of wireless data

MIT researchers belonging to CSAIL (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab) said they had developed a new wireless technology able to triple the transmission speed of Wi-Fi data while doubling the signal range. The team, led by the good care of Professor Dina Katabi, wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of its prototype called MegaMIMO 2.0. 

The key to the operation of the system that will soon be marketed in the ability to coordinate multiple simultaneously access points at the same frequency and without creating interference. This means that in theory MegaMIMO 2.0 will be able to significantly improve the speed and robustness of wireless connections to networks, which will be very useful for example during events where connections could be stretched as concerts , conventions or other large gathering of people. 

MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) using networked devices work better by combining multiple transmitters and receivers who will work simultaneously, allowing you to send and receive more than one data signal at the same time. MegaMIMO 2.0 allows multiple routers to work in harmony, transmitting data over the same spectrum. 

Mobile broadband services are currently undergoing exponential growth resulting in a significant increase in data traffic. The increase in traffic is encouraged by the growing number of mobile subscribers, especially Smartphone users. The rapid rise in traffic has led several organizations such as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission, which is responsible for regulating the use of radio frequencies in the US) to talk about the possibility of a "crisis of the spectrum." This formulation refers to the potential lack of wireless spectrum needed to support a growing number of user devices and the frequency bands used by the government and the private sector. Many experts consider that the crisis is a risk spectrum in telecommunications and wireless networking with profound implications for the immediate future. 

"In the wireless world today, you can not resolve the crisis of the spectrum by simply throwing more transmitters, because they will always interfere with each other," said Ezzeldin Hamed, a doctoral student who is the lead author of the paper on the subject. "The answer is to have all the access points that work with each other simultaneously for efficient use of the available spectrum." 

To demonstrate the performance of MegaMIMO 2.0, the researchers simulated a conference room with a set of four computers connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Experience has shown that the system could improve the speed of data transmission of 330 %. According Hariharan Rahul, a PhD student who is also co-author of the document, the system could also be applied to mobile networks to address such congestion. 

"The problem is that, as two radio stations can not play a song at the same frequency and at the same time, multiple routers can not transfer the data to the same portion of spectrum without creating major interference that obscure the signal, "noted Rahul. Also, for the CSAIL team, the missing piece of the puzzle was a new technique to coordinate more issuers synchronizing their phases. The team developed special algorithms of signal processing that allow multiple independent transmitters to transmit data on the same piece of spectrum to several independent receivers without interfering with each other. 

"This research offers a new way to distribute the Wi-Fi on campuses and businesses," said Sachin Katti, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Stanford University. "While current solutions are often slow and sometimes have unequal performance, this technology has the potential to provide high-capacity connectivity to each user."

  



Source : MIT, FCC