This course provides an introduction to the technology and policy context of public communications networks, through critical discussion of current issues in communications policy and their historical roots. The course focuses on underlying rationales and models for government involvement and the complex dynamics introduced by co-evolving technologies, industry structure, and public policy objectives. Cases drawn from cellular, fixed-line, and Internet applications include evolution of spectrum policy and current proposals for reform; the migration to broadband and implications for universal service policies; and property rights associated with digital content. The course lays a foundation for thesis research in this domain.

Competition in Telecommunications provides an introduction to the economics, business strategies, and technology of telecommunications markets. This includes markets for wireless communications, local and long-distance services, and customer equipment. The convergence of computers, cable TV and telecommunications and the competitive emergence of the Internet are covered in depth. A number of speakers from leading companies in the industry will give course lectures.

Digital Anthropology is a Spring 2003 applied social science and media arts seminar, surveying the blossoming arena of digital-artifact enabled experimental sociology/anthropology. We will emphasize on both (a) Technology Testbeds – systematically deploying research lab prototypes and corporate pre-production products in a sample human organizational population and carefully observing the social consequences, and (b) Sociometrics – using digital artifacts to better observe and measure the complex social reality of interesting human systems.

6.776 covers circuit level design issues of high speed communication systems, with primary focus being placed on wireless and broadband data link applications. Specific circuit topics include transmission lines, high speed and low noise amplifiers, VCO’s, mixers, power amps, high speed digital circuits, and frequency synthesizers. In addition to learning analysis skills for the above items, students will gain a significant amount of experience in simulating RF circuits in SPICE and also building RF circuits within a lab project.

6.976 covers circuit and system level design issues of high speed communication systems, with primary focus being placed on wireless and broadband data link applications. Specific circuit topics include transmission lines, high speed and low noise amplifiers, VCO’s, and high speed digital circuits. Specific system topics include frequency synthesizers, clock and data recovery circuits, and GMSK transceivers. In addition to learning analysis skills for the above items, students will gain a significant amount of experience in simulating circuits in SPICE and systems in CppSim (a custom C++ simulator).

With the assistance of a few teacher demonstrations (online animation, using a radiometer and rubbing hands), students review the concept of heat transfer through convection, conduction and radiation. Then they apply an understanding of these ideas as they use wireless temperature probes to investigate the heating capacity of different materials sand and water under heat lamps (or outside in full sunshine). The experiment models how radiant energy drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, thus producing winds and weather conditions, while giving students the hands-on opportunity to understand the value of remote-sensing capabilities designed by engineers. Students collect and record temperature data on how fast sand and water heat and cool. Then they create multi-line graphs to display and compare their data, and discuss the need for efficient and reliable engineer-designed tools like wireless sensors in real-world applications.

Join Frank Vernon as he discusses ROADNet, a new project that allows a wide variety of environmental research projects to stream data via Wireless and satellite communications in order to observe our dynamic environment. (29 minutes)

The course serves as an introduction to the theory and practice behind many of today’s communications systems. 6.450 forms the first of a two-course sequence on digital communication. The second class, 6.451 Principles of Digital Communication II, is offered in the spring.
Topics covered include: digital communications at the block diagram level, data compression, Lempel-Ziv algorithm, scalar and vector quantization, sampling and aliasing, the Nyquist criterion, PAM and QAM modulation, signal constellations, finite-energy waveform spaces, detection, and modeling and system design for wireless communication.

The course serves as an introduction to the theory and practice behind many of today’s communications systems. 6.450 forms the first of a two-course sequence on digital communication. The second class, 6.451, is offered in the spring.
Topics covered include: digital communications at the block diagram level, data compression, Lempel-Ziv algorithm, scalar and vector quantization, sampling and aliasing, the Nyquist criterion, PAM and QAM modulation, signal constellations, finite-energy waveform spaces, detection, and modeling and system design for wireless communication.

Building on what they learned about wired and wireless electrical connections in the associated lesson, students use Android phones to take advantage of Bluetooth wireless connections to remotely guide LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robots through a maze. They compare this wireless remote control navigation to their previous experiences navigating LEGO robots via programming. A PowerPoint® presentation and pre/post quizzes are provided.

Students learn how two LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT intelligent bricks can be programmed so that one can remotely control the other. They learn about the components and functionality in the (provided) controller and receiver programs. When its buttons are pressed, the NXT brick assigned as the remote control device uses the controller program to send Bluetooth® messages. When the NXT taskbot/brick assigned as the receiver receives certain Bluetooth messages, it moves, as specified by the receiver program. Students examine how the programs and devices work in tandem, gaining skills as they play "robot soccer." As the concluding activity in this unit, this activity provides a deeper dimension of understanding programming logic compared to previous activities in this unit and introduces the relatively new and growing concept of wireless communication. A PowerPoint® presentation, pre/post quizzes and a worksheet are provided.

There are several types of wireless technologies that students and consumer need to know about In this video we look at:
-Bluetooth
-Cellular
-Wi-Fi

Here are a few tips on what to do after you plug in your wireless router.

Students learn about electrical connections, how they work and their pervasiveness in our world. They consider the usefulness of wireless electrical connections for connecting electrical devices. Morse code is introduced as a communication method that takes advantage of on/off states to transmit messages by electrical bursts sent via wires, light or sound. They learn the Morse code rules and translate a few phrases into Morse code. Specifically, they learn about a wireless connection type known as Bluetooth that can be used to control LEGO robots remotely from Android devices, which leads into the associated activity.