1

Implementation and Performance Evaluation of

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM) using WARP
Titiek Suryani, Suwadi, Hasan
Electrical Engineering Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Tenth Nopember institute of Technology (ITS)
Jl. Arief Rahman Hakim, Surabaya 60111 Indonesia
e-mail: titiks@ee.its.ac.id, suwadi@ee.its.ac.id, hasanbadjrie12@mhs.ee.its.ac.id
Abstract-one of the problems in high data rate
transmision is selective fading frequency in result of
multipath channel. One of the solutions is multi-carrier
transmission. The method is dividing the available
bandwidth signal into some of subcarrier with a narrow
bandwidth, so the selective fading frequency can be blocked
only by one subcarrier and the error burst can be prevented.
Multi-carrier transmission technique with efficiency
bandwidth is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM). This OFDM system can be implemented in
Wireless Open-Access Research Platform (WARP) which is
one of the Software Defined Radio (SDR) that can be
programmed flexibely. This WARP module is use for Bit
Error Rate (BER) analytic performance in transmission
technique for real channel. OFDM implementation in
WARP modul is use IEEE 802.11 standard and that wil be a
start for MIMO-OFDM technique in WARP module. BER
performance shows that the change of BER value is not
significant for short range variation (less than 10m).
Whereas there is an obstacle, it significantly effected the
BER value which in Line of Sight condition is 0 when the
transmit power is -26.125 dBm. While in Non Line Of Sight
(NLOS) condition, the BER value is 9.3x10-6.
Keyword-IEEE 802.11, OFDM, Multicarrier, SDR, WARP

I. INTRODUCTION
A rapid development in telecommunication technology
effected a high data rate service like voice, multimedia,
and data through wire or wireless is in high demand.
High data rate transmission needs higher bandwidth than
single carrier transmission because the required
minimum bandwidth is Rs/2 (Hz) where Rs is a symbol
rate. When signal bandwidth higher than coherent
bandwidth in wireless channel, the signal will experience
selective fading frequency in result of multipath and
inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) can be happened. In
general there is adaptive equalizer which developed to
overcome ISI, but when the data rate is higher, the
equalizer design is more complex which hard to
implement [1].
To overcome with that problem, the correct solution for
high data rate transmission is use multi-carrier. Total
available bandwidth in spectrum for multi-carrier

transmission is divided into subbands for multi-carrier

transmission in parallel, so the bandwidth for each
relative sub band is smaller than coherent bandwidth. For
example is OFDM that have multi-carrier transmission,
where in this OFDM the carriers may have short range
until it overlapped each other so that the bandwidth is
more provide than any other multicarrier like Frequency
Division Multiplexing (FDM). After that with adding a
cyclic prefix (CP) in OFDM, ISI can be overcome.
OFDM itself can be applied using many standard
telecommunication standard in wireless technology or
wireline technology, for example IEEE 802.11g standard
for wireless fidelity (WiFi) Wireless LANs.
In this paper, analysis performance and implementation
of OFDM is using Single-Input Single-Output (SISO)
communication, so there is only one transmitter and one
receiver. This communication will be implemented in a
such SDR like WARP that the module is for wireless
communication system.
II. METHODOLOGY
A. OFDM System Design
Implementation of OFDM block diagram system can
be shown in figure 1. The transmit data bit is mapped into
values matched with the modulation (in this research is
QPSK), so the bit value 1 and 0 changed into

0,7071i0,7071

, where

i=1

match

with the QPSK modulation constellation. Table 1 shows

modulation symbol value.
After that, modulated symbol changed into paralel
matched with carrier number (48) which allocate to
symbol data. Next, the 64-dot IFFT with 64 input
represent the number of subcarrier. Available subcarrier is
divided into alocated distribution : 48 for data symbol, 4
for pilot and the rest is empty. This IFFT is multicarrier
modulation process, with range between subcarrier is 1/T,
where T is OFDM symbol period. After IFFT process,
cyclic prefix is added from 25% of data size in one
OFDM symbol or IFFT 16-dot for each OFDM symbol.

Figure 1. Block Diagram OFDM System in WARP

The next process is adding preamble. The preamble is a

combination between Long Training Symbol (LTS) and
Short Training Symbol (STS). This preamble shown in
Figure 2. After that, the sginal is interpollated to improve
sampling rate and the signal ready to be transmitted and
carried with a higher frequency [3].
This interpollation process is divided into two start up
steps : up-sampling and low pass filtering (LPF)[1]. After
this, signal is normalized to improve Digital to Analog
Converter (DAC) that in WARP, so the signal is in range
between -1 and 1. Later, this signal is send to buffer
transmitter through Ethernet. This transmission process
will start after the synchronisation packet is sent to
transmitter node.
Meanwhile the process in receiver : received signal
experience a desimation process, this process is divided
into two steps : low pass filtering and downsampling with
interpolation size is match [4].
After the desimation process, next step is cross
correlation process between preamble which receive with
one of reference LTS match with the one that transmitted.
Calculation for cross correlation is shown in equation (1)
[3]:
M

C ( n ) = r ( l N +k+n ) s (l N +k)
l=0 k=1

(1)

Where r is the total received preamble, s is one LTS, N

is OFDM data length andM is number of cross correlated
LTS. This cross correlation process is for synchronisation
process to determine the start of frame [5]. The cross
correlation result shown in figure 3. The two peak value
is showing the LTS location. After the beginning of the
first OFDM frame in receiver, the next step is vanish the
cyclic prefix value and than FFT process can be done
with same size as IFFT which 64. After FFT process
done, equalizer process where this process is to return the
magnitude value and phase signal that changed because
channel effect [3]. To return the magnitude value, cross
correlation result is used, while estimation result is use to
return the phase which get from pilots that added and
inserted into subcarriers. After equalizer process, the data
information will through demapping process to return the
value that match with QPSK constellation to bit again.

Hk+

1 (W 0, k +W 1,k )
dk
2

(3)

After get the estimation channel value, equalization

process will done against the received payload (total of
all OFDM symbol) using equation (4) [7]:

Figure 2. Preamble Structure [2]

Table 1. Symbol value for QPSK modulation result

Bit Info
(left-msb)
00
01
10
11

Symbol Value

xe ( k )=

0.7071 + 0.7071j
-0.7071 + 0.7071j
0.7071 0.7071j
-0.7071 0.7071j

Where

B. Channel Estimation
Channel Estimation is use for cancel the channel effect
which result dampng and phase changed because of
multipath [3]. On channel estimation process, the LTS in
receiver which through the FFT process is noted as

Rl,k

l=0

represent the first LTS and

l=0,1

second LTS and index

frequency domain.

presented into equation (2), index

l=1

x(k)
^
Hk

(4)

xe ( k )

isa signal after equalization process,

x(k) is a signal before equalization process and

^
H k is channel estimation channel. The changed value

before estimation process and after estimation process in

constellation had shown clearly in figure 4.

for the

shows that the value is in

(2)

Rl,k=H l,k d l,k+W l,k

Gambar 3. LTS correlation

Where

W l,k

FFT process,

d l,k

is noise in signal after through the

is transmited LTS and

H l,k

C. Phase Error Estimation

is

cahnnel frequency response, shown in equation (3).

While estimation channel result using LTS based on [6]
is:

^
Hk

1
1
(R0, k +R 1,k )
2
dk
1
1
(H k d k +W 0, k +H k d k +W 1,k )
2
dk

After estimation channel process has done, next step is

phase error correction process. This estimation needed for
a signal effected by channel and timing offset whereas the
signal is in correct circle. the result from this error is an
incorrect OFDM symbols location [8]. Phase error
estimation process is quite simple, with multiplied the
received symbol with

where

is phase

estimation angle result. Mathematicly, phase correction

operation had done with this equation :
(5)

s' ( k )=s ( k ) ej

where

'

s (k)

correction process.

is a received signal after phase

value is get from the average of

an angle value differences between received value with a

transmit pilot. The effect from error phase correction in
phase restoration process is shown in figure 5.
D.

Frame Design

Frame design for communication using WARP is based

on parameter in [9] for example, number buffer in WARP
is limited to 214 or 16384 sample and frequency sampling
of the system is 40 MHz. this frame design process is to
arranged the signal transmission will run matched with
spesification in WARP. In all frame it must be allocate
into some field for delay. This will be important between
transmitter and receiver because there will be a delay
effected by transmission process and data acquisition in
WARP, delay value si allocated in 2944 sample. Delay
will located in the back of frame with 0, so this delay is
called as zero padding. From all, frame design for
communication is shown in figure 6. For addition, not all
of OFDM symbol are data while one OFDM symbol
there is also cyclic prefix, pilot, data and virtual
subcarrier.

Figure 4. Signal Constellation in Channel Estimation

Process

III. DISCUSSION AND RESULT

The measurment result is proposed to analyze the
OFDM performance with various condition in real
channel. The parameter is shown in table 2. Measurment
condition is based on figure 7 and 8.
OFDM performance analysis result as a function of
transmitter and receiver range in LOS condition and in
coridor environment is shown in figure 9. The figure
shown that a changed of performance at rang 4 and 5
meters can not be differenciate, because the range
difference is relatively small so the effect of signal damp
is too small so signal error contribution is not quite
significant.

Figure 5.Constellation Signal in phase correction process

This is shown eventhough the transmit power is -16.75

dBm and BER value at 4 meters range is 0, but when
transmit power is less than 025 dBm, 5 meters
performance is better than 4 meters.
Comparison between LOS and NLOS condition at 4
meters range in indoor environment is shown in figure 10.
In this figure, performance at LOS condition is better than
NLOS condition. This is because the obstacle which at
the area between transmitter and receiver is damping the
signal quite high and error contribution is also significant.
While for the same condition and range but different
environment is shown in fugure 11. In this figure shown
that the best performance is achieved at indoor
environment. Whereas the reflected object around
transmitter and receiver contribution is adding the
reflected signal with relatively small delay that can be
handled by adding the cyclic-prefix. For coridor where
reflected object which is one side wall is giving the
reflected signal contribution with relatively small delay
until ISI that happened can be handled by cyclic prefix.
Because of the coridor, the reflected object is a wall with

5
flat surface, so number of reflected signal which arrived
at the receiver is less than the signal in indoor.

Figure 7. Measurment Sketch for LOS condition

Figure 6. Frame Structure for Communication

Table 2. Measurment Parameter

Parameter
Bit rate
QPSK Symbol rate per
carrier (baud rate)
Number of subcarrier
OFDM symbol rate
Ratio cyclic prefix
Transmitted Bit
node Tx and Rx range
Setting Gain in WARP:
- Tx Baseband:
- Tx RF:
- Rx Baseband:
- Rx RF:
Obstacle type

Value
24 Mbps
12 MBd
64 (48 data + 4 pilot)
250 kBd
25%
107520 bit
various

Gambar 8. Measurment Sketch for NLOS condition

2
0-60
2
2

Cord web

For outdoor environment, the location of reflected

object is quite far, so the reflected signal which arrive at
receiver make the power reduce. This make a reflected
signal contribution in a receiver signal is very small and
direct signal is more dominant. From all, outdoor BER is
higher than coridor BER.
IV. CONCLUSION
In this OFDM system using WARP implementation,
estimation process in receiver is an important process to
overcome with error that happened in real channel
(chanel estimation or error phase estimation).

Figure 9. LOS Condition and Coridor Condition Range

Differences

6
different even as the state when distance at 5 meter has
BER value less than distance at 4 meter. In case of
obstacle, performance of OFDM is better when LOS
condition than NLOS condition. When transmit power
-26.125 dBm, BER value for LOS condition is 0 while in
NLOS condition is 9.3x10-6. While in case of
measurement environment, when transmit power -26.125
dBm, BER value for indoor environment is 0 while in
corridor and outdoor environment are 1.2x10-3 and
6.43x10-3, respectively. In case of measurement, indoor
environment has the best performance because it has the
shortest distance of reflection than other environments.
DAFTAR PUSTAKA
Gambar 10. LOS and NLOS Differences with The Same
Range and The Same Environment

[1]
[2]

[3]
[4]
[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Gambar 11. LOS Condition Environment Differences at 4

Meters Range

Performance of OFDM based distance has shown that in

the same of environment, BER values not too much

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