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Is Two Better Than One? Multi-beam Signals Target 5G Reliability and Throughput

Multipath signals are generally considered an undesirable noise source in RF links. Flipping conventional thinking on its head, UC San Diego Researchers are capitalizing on two beams being better than one.

August 30, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

Sub-6G and mmWave Tech Cuts Through the Haze of 5G Antenna Design

Antennas were once considered a passive element in the radio frontend. Now, just starting the 5G conversation requires active multiplexing and electronic beam steering.

August 19, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

WiBotic Gets Creative With New Wireless Charging for Robots and Drones

Different types of robots require different types of charging. Wibotic can keep options flexible by providing programmable onboard chargers.

August 17, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

In Its First Public Acquisition, SpaceX Snatches Up Satellite Startup Swarm

SpaceX is known to create almost all of its technology in-house. What inspired the tech giant to acquire Swarm's technology?

August 12, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

3 Acquisitions Snap Up RF and Microwave Companies Targeting Aerospace

Acquisitions function as a fuel source of the tech industry. Recently, a trend of RF-focused acquisitions has been taking place. What does this mean for EEs and the RF industry?

August 09, 2021 by Lianne Frith

u-blox’s New Kits Help Designers Explore Bluetooth Direction Finding

Two new hardware kits from u-blox use Bluetooth Direction Finding APIs for indoor positioning applications. Are they using angle-of-arrival or angle-of-departure for direction finding?

July 01, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

Xilinx Aims to Speed Up System Design with Gen3 RF SoM

One method of accelerating system design is with a system-on-module (SoM). The newest XRF16-Gen3 Xilinx-based SoM from AVNET has improvements worth evaluating.

May 24, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

ADI’s RF Platform Hunkers Down on Phase Determinism for Defense Communication

A new reference design from ADI appeals to electronic warfare applications, aerospace radar, and advanced commercial radio.

April 16, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

Assessing the Advantages of Ultra-wideband Systems Through Impulse Radios

Using impulse radios as an example, we'll examine the advantages of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology compared to other short-range wireless communication technologies.

April 11, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

From Space to the Farm, RF Advancements Fuel New 5G Applications

5G will undoubtedly make its mark in crowded urban centers. But how can RF technologies for this spectrum make a difference in rural and even space settings?

March 31, 2021 by Tyler Charboneau

ADI’s New ASIC Transceiver Platform Marks How 5G Has Matured

Analog Devices' new ASIC-based 5G O-RAN radio platform might be indicative of maturing network technology.

March 29, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

It’s All About the Timing: 5G Brings Timing Synchronization Burdens

Renesas has released three new ICs in its communication timing portfolio to help alleviate the burden of 5G timing constraints.

March 25, 2021 by Jake Hertz

The Rise of Wireless Highlights the Importance of Dual-band Radio Design

Wireless integration is a now-common reality of most IoT designs. How can designers monolithically integrate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz more seamlessly?

March 19, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

What Will It Take to Make 6G a Reality by 2030? A Theoretical Conversation

From telepresence holograms to machines as the network's primary users, 6G will be very different from today's network. But does the hardware for this network even exist?

March 15, 2021 by Adrian Gibbons

Digital or Analog? How Should I and Q Combining and Separation Be Done?

How should I and Q combining be done? Through analog or digital means? This article will discuss the basics of the analog and digital IQ approaches.

February 22, 2021 by Wes Brodsky

ST Packs the Power and Connectivity Strengths of STM32 Into a Wireless MCU Module

Designing a transceiver and antenna is no small feat. A new module from ST is designed to help small companies to spend less time on the hardware and more time on the Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, or Thread application itself.

January 07, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

On the 12 Days of Christmas, an EE Gave to Me…

In this electrical engineering edition of the 12 days of Christmas, we take a look at a few familiar highlights of the season and zoom in on the technologies electrical engineers have contributed to make them possible.

December 25, 2020 by Hannah DeTavis

“vRAN” Is Becoming a Key Focus for Developers of 5G Radio Units

With an influx of 5G devices, telecom companies, specifically those aligned with the O-RAN Alliance, are further developing virtualized radio access networks.

December 14, 2020 by Antonio Anzaldua Jr.

What Makes 5G So Fast? mmWaves, MIMO, Beamforming, and More

With 5G rolling out more quickly as we approach 2021, it may be helpful to touch on the key technologies that make 5G such a speedy success.

December 02, 2020 by John Koon

Xilinx, TI, and Skyworks Tackle PA Efficiency Problems in 5G Small Cell Radios

As modulation scheme efficiency goes up, power amplifier efficiency goes down. Xilinx, TI, and Skyworks are bringing their expertise to the table to reconcile the trade-off.

November 18, 2020 by Adrian Gibbons