Initial investigation of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels in indoor environments

Theoretical investigation of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels has shown the potentially huge increases in spectral efficiency that this architecture can offer. The performance of such MIMO systems is dependent on the propagation environment exhibiting sufficient multipath scattering. This paper presents some initial analysis of MIMO channel measurements taken in indoor environments at 5.2 GHz. Outage capacities are calculated and compared between different locations and for different antenna array configurations. Surprisingly, it is shown that the highest channel capacities were actually calculated from data measured in an empty room.