Types of Beamforming
There are two types of beamforming
- Analog beamforming
- Digital beamforming
Analog Beamforming: In analog beamforming, the phase and amplitude variation is applied to the analog signal to create a directional beam. This technique is used in older wireless communication systems and the signals from different antennas are summed up before the ADC conversion at the receiver’s end.
Digital Beamforming: In digital beamforming, the phase and amplitude variation is applied to the digital signal before Digital to analog conversion at the transmitter’s end to create a directional beam. This technique is used in modern wireless communication systems and is more flexible than analog beamforming.
There are two subtypes of digital beamforming:
- Precoding: The signal is preprocessed at the transmitter’s end to create a focused beam in the receiver’s direction.
- Post-Processing: The signal is received at the receiver and then processed to create a focused beam in the transmitter’s direction.
Types of Beamforming in Wireless Communication
Pre-requisites: Spatial Filtering in Wireless Communications
In simpler terms beamforming is a procedure of sending electromagnetic signals in a particular direction rather than sending them in all directions by adjusting the phase and amplitude of the transmitted signals. Beamforming is formed by reinforcing the signal in a particular direction.