Application Note: Fundamentals Of Interference In Wireless Networks

As wireless systems proliferate worldwide, the number one enemy of wireless systems designers and service providers is signal interference. Interference hampers coverage and capacity, and limits the effectiveness of both new and existing systems. It is an unavoidable fact that wireless communications systems must coexist in extremely complicated signal environments. This article presents the subject of interference and its degrading effects on the performance of wireless networks. It provides a brief theory of operation of communications receivers and antennae, as well as instructions on how to locate and identify an interfering signal.