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Abstract:
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Due to constant development in computer technology, wireless and mobile communication has gained enormous popularity. A practical solution for mobile networking in residential and public environments where the traditional cable network is impractical and expensive, is Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). TUTWLAN is a new WLAN proposal being developed and implemented in Signal Processing Laboratory at Tampere Univeristy of Technology (TUT). It is targeted for low-mobility or stationary wireless applications and for terminals ranging from simple wireless sensors into multimedia laptops. Each terminal is equipped with TUTWLAN adapter containing Medium Access Control (TUTMAC) protocol functionality and demonstrator hardware. This thesis presents the design and hardware implementation of a MAC module for TUTWLAN demonstrator. The TUTWLAN demonstrator consists of commercial radio sub-system, MAC module, and a PCI-interface module to host computer. The MAC module containing a signal processor and a radio interface block is implemented on separate printed circuit board. The processor is for embedding the TUTMAC protocol into demonstrator environment. The protocol is further adapted into physical layer, i.e. radio sub-system, by the radio interface providing a simple control interface for TUTMAC. In addition, the interface connects different signal lines between hardware components and handles the lowest level handshaking. For the interface, a reconfigurable FPGA implementation was chosen because of its suitability for prototyping purposes. The logic for the FPGA was designed with high-level description language VHDL. /Kir10 |