An FPGA-based wireless network capstone project

Abstract

This paper describes a senior-level ECE capstone project in which students design, implement, and debug a wireless network using FPGAs with a small amount of attached circuitry. The project requires students to design the physical and media access control layers of a protocol based on IEEE 802.11, but simplified to make it feasible in a semester-long course. Specifically, the physical layer uses a VHF link with Bipolar Phase Shift Keying that can be implemented using the FPGA and a small analog front end. The protocol implements the basic Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance mechanism of IEEE 802.11 while leaving out more advanced features. The resulting project requires that students learn the concepts of the design process, apply their knowledge of several different ECE topics, and implement a complex design.