Spatial multiplexing and diversity in a MIMO based WLAN system

Spatial processing techniques are considered as means to enhance the performance of WLANs systems. Different multi-antenna methods exploit different properties of the radio channel, so in this paper, we identify, based on the channel state, the physical layer parameters that can be controlled in the attempt to satisfy the user/application requirements, with an efficient use of the available radio resources. Performance criteria considered for the evaluation are the packet error rate and the throughput. Channel state information at the transmitter provides link speed enhancement especially for high transmit diversity system and low values of the signal to noise ratio.