Distributed MIMO technologies in cooperative wireless networks

Multiple-input multiple-output techniques enhance wireless communications performance by taking advantage of spatial diversity. However, most traditional MIMO systems hardly achieve large spatial diversity because of limited terminal size. In this article, we present recent advances of the distributed MIMO technologies in cooperative wireless networks. We also compare and discuss various relay protocols and cooperative strategies. Our simulation results indicate that distributed MIMO systems can provide larger spatial diversity, and the data rate in cooperative networks can be significantly increased.