Towards a generalized methodology for Smart Antenna measurements

The huge expansion of mobile communications and the need for high data rate services require more efficient use of the spectrum to increase the capacity of networks and enhance the quality of services. Within that frame, the adoption of Smart Antenna techniques in future wireless systems is expected to have a significant impact on the aforementioned needs. Following the proliferation of the use of Smart Antennas systems there is a growing need for characterization of such systems which is still an open issue. In this work, a generalized methodology for Smart Antenna characterization measurements is introduced. Simulation results from the application of the proposed measurement procedure using a reference array to characterise the smart antenna algorithm subsystem are presented.