Abstract: Interference mitigation for a MU-MIMO wireless communication network includes determining a MU-MIMO group of further wireless stations to which respective beams are to be formed, forming a first beam for reception of transmitted data from a second wireless station based on previously determined channel estimates. When the MU-MIMO group has fewer members than a number of beams which a beamforming weights matrix is configured to receive, forming an additional beam(s) being offset in angle of arrival by a respective predetermined angle from the first beam for reception of the transmitted data from the second wireless station, and generating a decoded data stream from a data stream resulting from receipt of the transmitted data in the first beam and from respective data streams resulting from receipt of the transmitted data from the additional beam(s).

Abstract: Interference mitigation for a MU-MIMO wireless communication network includes determining a MU-MIMO group of further wireless stations to which respective beams are to be formed, forming a first beam for reception of transmitted data from a second wireless station based on previously determined channel estimates. When the MU-MIMO group has fewer members than a number of beams which a beamforming weights matrix is configured to receive, forming an additional beam(s) being offset in angle of arrival by a respective pre-determined angle from the first beam for reception of the transmitted data from the second wireless station, and generating a decoded data stream from a data stream resulting from receipt of the transmitted data in the first beam and from respective data streams resulting from receipt of the transmitted data from the additional beam(s).

Abstract: A main antenna arrangement is configured to receive with a pre-configured first directional radiation pattern having a first beam with a first beamwidth and to provide first received signals at a first output, and at least one auxiliary antenna is configured to receive with a pre-configured respective second directional radiation pattern having a second beam with a second beamwidth, different from the first beamwidth and to provide second received signals at a second output. Interference cancelling circuitry is configured to control the amplitude and phase of the second received signals received from the at least one auxiliary antenna to produce weighted second received signals and combine the weighted second received signals with the first signals received from the main antenna arrangement to reduce a level of interference signals received by the main antenna arrangement in relation to a level of wanted signals received in the main antenna arrangement.

Abstract: A dual polarised edge coupled patch antenna element includes a patch radiator (1) and a ground plane (6), the ground plane being disposed in a substantially parallel relationship with the patch radiator (1). A first feed track (2) is connected at a first feed position on a first edge of the patch radiator and a second feed track (3) is connected at a second feed position on a second edge of the patch radiator, the second edge being at a right angle to the first edge. The first feed position is offset from the centre of the first edge and the second feed position is offset from the centre of the second edge, and the first feed position and the second feed position are each offset in a respective direction away from a corner between the first side and the second side.

Abstract: A radio frequency transmission arrangement comprises a ground plate having an aperture comprising a slot with an elongate cross-section and substantially parallel sides, and a first and second transmission line. The thickness of the ground plate is greater than a width of the slot. The aperture is partially filled with a solid dielectric material and partially filled with air. The first transmission line comprises a first elongate conductor on a first side of the ground plate and has an end terminated with a first termination stub. The second transmission line comprises a second elongate conductor on the opposite side of the ground plate and has an end terminated with a second termination stub. The first transmission line is arranged to cross the slot at a point adjacent to the first termination stub, and the second transmission line is arranged to cross the slot at a point adjacent to the second termination stub.

Abstract: In a point to multipoint wireless communications system comprising a master station and a plurality of slave stations operating according to a time division multiplex protocol, a noise and interference level is measured associated with each frequency channels at each slave station, in a predetermined timeslot of the time division multiplex protocol. A histogram is generated of the noise and interference level measurements for each slave station for each frequency channel. A noise and interference level estimate is generated for each frequency channel for each slave station as a predetermined percentile of the respective histogram, and a respective single combined noise and interference level estimate is generated for each frequency channel from the estimates. One of the frequency channels is selected for use in subsequent transmission of frames of the time division multiplex protocol on the basis of the respective single combined noise and interference level estimates.

Abstract: Data is transmitted from a first wireless station comprising first and second transmitters to a second wireless station comprising first and second receivers. In the absence of radio link failure detection, first data is transmitted via a first radio link from the first transmitter to the first receiver using a first subset of first radio resource blocks and transmitting second data via a second radio link from the second transmitter to the second receiver using second subset of the first radio resource blocks. The first and second radio links are monitored for a failure. If first radio link failure is detected, the second radio link is operated using a combination of the first and second subsets of the first radio resource blocks. If second radio link failure is detected, the first radio link is operated using a combination of the first and second subsets of the first radio resource blocks.

Abstract: An access point of a wireless communication network forms beams by applying a weightset for a beamforming weights matrix to signal streams. The Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) that is emitted from an array of antenna elements at the access point is controlled by calibrating the transmission phase and gain of a respective transmit chain for each antenna element, providing a polar radiation model for an antenna element of the array, and determining a weightset for the weighting matrix subject to a constraint that a maximum total EIRP for the beams in combination in any azimuth direction is maintained within a predetermined EIRP limit, based at least on a spatial separation of the antenna elements, the polar radiation model and the calibrated transmission phase and gain of each respective transmit chain.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for managing a communications system including a wireless network access point and an administrator computing device coupled to the access point via a network. A user device connects to a basic service set hosted by the access point. The administrator computing device accepts a request to configure a single-user service set hosted by the access point, the request received from the user device via the basic service set and the network. The administrator computing device instructs the access point to configure the private single-user service set using configuration information contained in the request. The access point configures the single-user service set using the configuration information.

Abstract: There are disclosed methods and access points for estimating a location of a user device in a wireless communications network. A plurality of access points define respective received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values for transmissions received from the user device. Each of the plurality of access points sends the respective RSSI values to the other access points of the plurality of access points. One of the plurality of access points self-elects to estimate the location of the user device. The self-elected access point estimates a location of the user device based, at least in part, on the RSSI values.

Abstract: An access point for use in a point to multipoint wireless network comprises a sector antenna and an antenna array of antenna elements, the antenna elements not including the sector antenna, and the antenna elements being arranged to receive signals from the same sector as the sector antenna. A first beamformer is configurable to form a first beam from signals received at the antenna array and a selector switch is switchable to at least a first state in which signals received at the sector antenna are connected to a first receiver, and a second state in which signals received from the first beamformer are connected to the first receiver. A scheduler is configured to set the selector switch to the first state for at least a first receive timeslot and to the second state for at least a second receive timeslot.

Abstract: An antenna array assembly comprises a dielectric film (2) carrying an array of conductive patch radiator elements (7) and a plurality of conductive feed tracks and a ground plate (1), a face of the ground plate (1) having a contoured shape comprising a first part configured to be in contact with the dielectric film (2), and a second part comprising sunken sections with respect to the first part arranged to underlie the conductive feed tracks and conductive patch radiator elements (7), and the ground plate having locating protrusions (6g, 6f) protruding from the first part. The dielectric film is attached to the ground plate by location of holes in the dielectric film with the locating protrusions (6g, 6f) such that the dielectric film is held under tension to maintain spacing of the dielectric film (2) from the sunken sections of the ground plate (1) without the use of a dielectric spacer layer between the dielectric film (2) and the ground plate (1).

Abstract: An access point (1) for use in a point to multipoint wireless network comprises a sector antenna (8) and an antenna array of antenna elements (7), the antenna elements not including the sector antenna, and the antenna elements being arranged to receive signals from the same sector as the sector antenna. A first beamformer (10) is configurable to form a first beam (11) from signals received at the antenna array and a selector switch (5) is switchable to at least a first state in which signals received at the sector antenna (8) are connected to a first receiver (2), and a second state in which signals received from the first beamformer (10) are connected to the first receiver (2). A scheduler is configured to set the selector switch (5) to the first state for at least a first receive timeslot and to the second state for at least a second receive timeslot.

Abstract: In a multi user multiple input multiple output MU-MIMO wireless communication network comprising an access point and subscriber modules, a method of channel sounding comprises forming a respective MU-MIMO beam from the access point to each subscriber module of a first sounding group of subscriber modules by applying a beamforming weightset to a weighting matrix, the beamforming weightset determined based on previously determined channel estimates. Each MU-MIMO beam is used to transmit a respective sounding symbol, each respective sounding symbol being different from each other sounding symbol of the first sounding group. A first sounding symbol is received at a first subscriber module of the first sounding group, and it is determined whether to send a response message to the access point on the basis of a determination of a received level of interference to the first sounding symbol.

Abstract: An antenna array assembly comprises at least a first and second antenna element, each comprising at least one radiator element in a substantially parallel relationship to a respective ground plate, and an isolator bar disposed between the respective ground plates of the first and second antenna elements, the isolator bar being elongate having a cross-section comprising a T shape, the cross-section being across a long axis. The isolator bar comprises a support bar in contact with the ground plates forming the stem of the T shape, and a cross piece forming the top of the T shape. The cross piece of the isolator bar has a width in the cross-section of at least a quarter of a wavelength at an operating frequency of the antenna array, whereby to provide radio frequency isolation between the first and second antenna elements.

Abstract: Encryption is provided for a wireless network comprising a first wireless station and at least a second wireless station. First messages are exchanged between the first wireless station and the second wireless station over a first synchronous wireless link to establish a shared secret and a first session key, the first messages not being encrypted. The MAC layer of the first synchronous wireless link is then encrypted using encryption on the basis of the first session key, then further messages are exchanged between the first wireless station and the second wireless station over the first synchronous wireless link to establish a second session key, the further messages being encrypted by the encryption of the MAC layer of the first synchronous wireless link. The MAC layer of the first synchronous wireless link is then encrypted using encryption on the basis of the second session key.

Abstract: A dual polarised edge coupled patch antenna element includes a patch radiator (1) and a ground plane (6), the ground plane being disposed in a substantially parallel relationship with the patch radiator (1). A first feed track (2) is connected at a first feed position on a first edge of the patch radiator and a second feed track (3) is connected at a second feed position on a second edge of the patch radiator, the second edge being at a right angle to the first edge. The first feed position is offset from the centre of the first edge and the second feed position is offset from the centre of the second edge, and the first feed position and the second feed position are each offset in a respective direction away from a corner between the first side and the second side.

Abstract: An access point of a wireless communication network forms beams by applying a weightset for a beamforming weights matrix to signal streams. The Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) that is emitted from an array of antenna elements at the access point is controlled by calibrating the transmission phase and gain of a respective transmit chain for each antenna element, providing a polar radiation model for an antenna element of the array, and determining a weightset for the weighting matrix subject to a constraint that a maximum total EIRP for the beams in combination in any azimuth direction is maintained within a predetermined EIRP limit, based at least on a spatial separation of the antenna elements, the polar radiation model and the calibrated transmission phase and gain of each respective transmit chain.

Abstract: An access point (1) for use in a point to multipoint wireless network comprises a sector antenna (8) and an antenna array of antenna elements (7), the antenna elements not including the sector antenna, and the antenna elements being arranged to receive signals from the same sector as the sector antenna. A first beamformer (10) is configurable to form a first beam (11) from signals received at the antenna array and a selector switch (5) is switchable to at least a first state in which signals received at the sector antenna (8) are connected to a first receiver (2), and a second state in which signals received from the first beamformer (10) are connected to the first receiver (2). A scheduler is configured to set the selector switch (5) to the first state for at least a first receive timeslot and to the second state for at least a second receive timeslot.

Abstract: An access point of a wireless communication network forms beams by applying a weightset for a beamforming weights matrix to signal streams. The Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) that is emitted from an array of antenna elements at the access point is controlled by calibrating the transmission phase and gain of a respective transmit chain for each antenna element, providing a polar radiation model for an antenna element of the array, and determining a weightset for the weighting matrix subject to a constraint that a maximum total EIRP for the beams in combination in any azimuth direction is maintained within a predetermined EIRP limit, based at least on a spatial separation of the antenna elements, the polar radiation model and the calibrated transmission phase and gain of each respective transmit chain.