Wireless Communications

R2026b

Design, analyze, test, and verify wireless communications systems

Wireless engineering teams use MATLAB^® and Simulink^® to reduce development time, eliminate design problems early, and streamline analysis, testing, and verification. Use these tools to:

Prove algorithm and system design concepts with simulation and over-the-air signals.
Generate customizable waveforms to verify conformance for generic wireless communications systems and various standards-compliant systems.
Simulate end-to-end communications systems.
Develop communications system models of system-level simulations that represent multinode networks.
Create models using digital, RF, and antenna elements to explore and optimize system behavior.
Automatically generate HDL or C code for prototyping and implementation without coding manually.
Create reusable golden reference models for iterative verification of wireless designs, prototypes, and implementations.

Products for Wireless Communications

Communications Toolbox

Design, simulate, and analyze the physical layer of communications systems

Wireless Network Toolbox

Model, simulate, analyze, and visualize wireless communication networks

5G Toolbox

Simulate, analyze, and test 5G and 5G-Advanced communications systems

LTE Toolbox

Simulate, analyze, and test the physical layer of LTE and LTE-Advanced wireless communications systems

WLAN Toolbox

Simulate, analyze, and test WLAN communications systems

Bluetooth Toolbox

Simulate, analyze, and test Bluetooth communications systems

Satellite Communications Toolbox

Simulate, analyze, and test satellite communications systems and links

Wireless Testbench

Test wideband wireless systems and perform spectrum monitoring

Wireless HDL Toolbox

Design and implement wireless communications subsystems for FPGAs, ASICs, and SoCs

Topics

Waveform Generation

Create Waveforms Using Wireless Waveform Generator App (Communications Toolbox)
Create, impair, visualize, and export modulated waveforms.
GPS Waveform Generation (Satellite Communications Toolbox)
Generate a complex baseband GPS waveform.

Receiver Algorithm Training with AI

Train Low Complexity CNN for 5G SISO Channel Estimation (5G Toolbox)
Train convolutional neural network (CNN) to perform channel estimation in SISO mode using the PDSCH DM-RS.

RF Propagation and Channel Modeling

RF Propagation and Visualization (Communications Toolbox)
Visualize coverage maps, SINR maps, and propagation paths in outdoor and indoor environments.
WLAN Channel Models (WLAN Toolbox)
Using WLAN channel models to add channel impairments to WLAN transmissions.
Propagation Channel Models (LTE Toolbox)
Describes the implementation of channel models specified by the LTE standard and corresponding functions in the LTE Toolbox™ product.
Visualize CDL Channel Model Characteristics (5G Toolbox)
Visualize CDL channel characteristics and explore channel information about the antenna element, element pattern, and cluster paths.
Simulate and Visualize Land Mobile-Satellite Channel (Satellite Communications Toolbox)
Model and visualize a two-state semi-Markov chain LMS channel.

Beamforming and Beam Sweeping in MIMO Systems

802.11ad Waveform Generation with Beamforming (WLAN Toolbox)
Beamform an IEEE^® 802.11ad™ waveform with a phased array.
Massive MIMO Hybrid Beamforming (Communications Toolbox)
Observe hybrid beamforming at the transmit end of a massive MIMO communications system, using techniques for both multi-user and single-user systems.
NR SSB Beam Sweeping (5G Toolbox)
Employ beam sweeping at gNB and UE and learn about beam management procedures during initial access.

Transceiver Design and Simulation

Power Amplifier Characterization (Communications Toolbox)
Characterize a power amplifier using measured input and output signals of an NXP Airfast PA.
EVM Measurement of 5G NR Downlink Waveforms with RF Impairments (5G Toolbox)
Measure EVM of NR-TM or NR-FRC waveforms with phase noise and memoryless nonlinearity impairments.
Link-Level QAM Simulation with RF Impairments and Corrections (Communications Toolbox)
Visualization capabilities that show the effects of RF impairments and corrections in a satellite downlink.

Code Generation and Deployment

5G LDPC Block Error Rate Simulation Using the Cloud or a Cluster (Communications Toolbox)
Use the cloud or a cluster for block error rate (BLER) simulation of low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding for the 5G NR downlink shared transport channel (DL-SCH).
Wireless Communications Design for ASICs, FPGAs, and SoCs (Communications Toolbox)
Design wireless communication algorithms for hardware by using Wireless HDL Toolbox™ blocks.

Software-Defined Radio

OFDM Wi-Fi Scanner Using SDR Preamble Detection (Wireless Testbench)
Retrieve Wi-Fi^® network information from captured OFDM packets. (Since R2022a)
Recover and Analyze Packets in 802.11 Waveform (WLAN Toolbox)
Blindly detect, decode, and analyze IEEE 802.11™ packets in a waveform.
Bluetooth BR/EDR Waveform Generation and Transmission Using SDR (Bluetooth Toolbox)
Generate and transmit Bluetooth BR/EDR waveform by using SDR.

Featured Examples

Neural Network for Digital Predistortion Design - Online Training

Use a neural network, that is trained online, to apply digital predistortion to offset the effects of nonlinearities in a power amplifier.

(Communications Toolbox)

Since R2023a

Train Autoencoders for CSI Feedback Compression

Compress downlink CSI feedback for 5G systems by using an autoencoder neural network.

(5G Toolbox)

Since R2022b

Noncollaborative Bluetooth LE Coexistence with WLAN Signal Interference

Simulate noncollaborative Bluetooth LE coexistence with WLAN signal interference.

(Bluetooth Toolbox)

Bluetooth LE Positioning by Using Direction Finding

Calculate the 2-D or 3-D position of a Bluetooth LE node by using Bluetooth direction finding features and triangulation.

(Bluetooth Toolbox)

Interference from Satellite Constellation on Communications Link

Analyze interference on a downlink from a constellation of satellites.

(Satellite Communications Toolbox)

802.11ax Downlink OFDMA Multinode System-Level Simulation

Model and simulate a WLAN multinode downlink OFDMA network.

(WLAN Toolbox)

Interactive Learning

Wireless Communications Onramp
Complete a free, self-paced, interactive course to learn the basics of simulating a wireless communications link in MATLAB, including transmitting binary digits over a channel to a receiver.

Videos

Why Simulink for Wireless System Design
This video shows how to design wireless transceivers with Simulink using its inherent modeling of time, multidomain modeling, interoperability with MATLAB, and hardware deployment capabilities.

5G Explained
This video outlines the main goals of the 5G Explained series and introduces the basic configuration of 5G New Radio.

Wireless Over-the-Air Testing Using SDRs
This video describes the SDR connectivity and rapid prototyping capabilities available from Communications Toolbox for easy data capture and analysis, and hardware radio design starting from a behavioral model.