Wi‑Fi 8 Cooperative Beamforming and Coordinated Spatial Reuse With Analog Beamformers

Thesis Proposal Details

Supervisor: Stefano Tomasin

Creation Date: 25/12/2025 20:10

Description

1. Background & Motivation

The forthcoming Wi‑Fi 8 amendment (currently under standardisation) promises dramatic gains in spectral efficiency, latency, and capacity. Two of the most impactful techniques being explored for the next‑generation WLAN are

  • Cooperative (coordinated) beamforming – multiple access points (APs) jointly shape their transmit beams toward associated stations (STAs) to increase received signal‑to‑noise ratio (SNR) and reduce inter‑cell interference.
  • Coordinated spatial reuse – neighbouring APs dynamically adjust transmission power, channel allocation, and timing based on mutual awareness, allowing simultaneous spatial streams in dense deployments.

Early laboratory prototypes have shown that these mechanisms, when combined with the high‑order modulation and massive‑MIMO features of Wi‑Fi 7, can push per‑user throughput well beyond the limits of conventional single‑AP operation. However, most evidence comes from isolated simulations or proprietary testbeds; a systematic, reproducible evaluation that integrates realistic channel measurements, antenna radiation patterns, and time‑varying propagation is still missing.

The proposed master‑thesis work will fill this gap by building a complete evaluation chain—from measured channel matrices to a customised MATLAB Wi‑Fi 7 simulator—covering both cooperative beamforming and coordinated spatial reuse. The outcome will be a set of quantitative performance results (throughput vs. SNR, robustness to channel dynamics, impact of antenna directivity) and a technical report that can guide future standard‑isation and product development efforts.

2. Objectives

  1. Define realistic multi‑AP/multi‑STA scenarios (2 AP + 2 STA) and acquire channel state information (CSI) matrices using residential‑grade routers and smart antennas.
  2. Extend the MATLAB Wi‑Fi 7 downlink MU‑MIMO/OFDMA simulator to incorporate:
    • Coordinated beamforming between the two APs.
    • Later, coordinated spatial‑reuse mechanisms drawn from the literature.
  3. Integrate measured antenna radiation patterns (for several steering angles) into the simulator to reflect true directional gains.
  4. Assess system performance under static and time‑varying 3GPP channel models, with periodic CSI acquisition that includes the analogue beamformer.

3. Methodology

Phase Tasks Deliverables
Phase 1 – Baseline & Cooperative Beamforming (Months 1‑3) • Design two‑AP/two‑STA layout (indoor office / small‑room) and specify measurement equipment. • Collect downlink/uplink CSI matrices for all AP‑STA links (performed by the partner organisation). • Implement coordinated beamforming in the MATLAB Wi‑Fi 7 simulator (extension of the “802.11be Downlink Multi‑User MIMO and OFDMA Throughput Simulation” toolbox). • Run exhaustive throughput‑vs‑SNR sweeps for the cooperative scenario. • Modified MATLAB simulator source (open‑source package). • Dataset of measured CSI matrices. • Interim technical note describing Phase 1 methodology and raw results.
Phase 2 – Coordinated Spatial Reuse & Antenna Directivity (Months 4‑5) • Survey state‑of‑the‑art coordinated spatial‑reuse algorithms (e.g., BSS‑coloring, dynamic TX‑OP allocation) and select a suitable technique for integration. • Incorporate the chosen spatial‑reuse logic into the simulator. • Obtain antenna radiation diagrams for several steering directions (provided by the partner) and embed them as gain‑lookup tables used during beamforming calculations. • Simulate scenarios with time‑varying 3GPP channel models (e.g., CDL‑A/B) and periodic CSI updates that also cover the analogue beamformer. • Extended simulator supporting both cooperative beamforming and coordinated spatial reuse. • Performance curves for static vs. time‑varying channels, including the effect of antenna directivity. • Draft of the final technical report (methods, results, discussion).
Phase 3 – Consolidation & Reporting (Month 6) • Cross‑validate simulation outcomes against any available reference measurements. • Perform sensitivity analysis (impact of CSI update interval, number of steering angles, AP separation distance). • Finalise the technical report, highlighting key insights, limitations, and recommendations for future work. • Complete thesis manuscript (≈ 60 pages). •• Presentation slides for the defence.

4. Expected Contributions

Contribution Description
Simulation Framework A publicly available MATLAB extension for Wi‑Fi 7 that supports coordinated beamforming, coordinated spatial reuse, and realistic antenna patterns.
Empirical Channel Dataset Measured CSI matrices for a 2‑AP/2‑STA residential deployment, useful for the wider research community.
Performance Characterisation Quantitative throughput, latency, and reliability results across a range of SNRs, channel dynamics, and antenna configurations, illustrating the gains (or trade‑offs) introduced by cooperation and spatial reuse.
Guidelines for Standardisation Evidence‑based recommendations on how cooperative techniques could be incorporated into the upcoming Wi‑Fi 8 amendment.
Thesis Document A self‑contained master‑level dissertation that details problem formulation, methodology, implementation, results, and future research directions.


5. Timeline (6 months)

Month Milestone
1 Scenario definition, measurement plan, start CSI acquisition.
2 Completion of CSI collection, baseline simulator set‑up, implementation of coordinated beamforming.
3 Throughput‑vs‑SNR simulations, interim technical note, decision point for proceeding to Phase 2.
4 Integration of coordinated spatial‑reuse algorithm, import of antenna pattern data.
5 Time‑varying channel simulations, sensitivity analyses, draft of final report.
6 Validation, final report polishing, thesis submission, defence preparation.

 

Dataset and methods

Dataset type: Already acquired data

Dataset description: WiFi channel measurements

List of Methods: Matlab

Tags
WiFi antennas beamforming
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