> One such piece of magic new to 802.11n Wi-Fi is called "beamfoming"
That's not quite true. 802.1ln has MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) processing, with "multiple" referring to the number of receiver and transmitter antennas. Beamforming is a special case of MIMO, and MIMO is a generalisation of beamforming.
In a "Line-of-Sight" channel with no reflectors, MIMO converges to a beamforming solution. Capacity is then limited by the ability for the rx/tx array to resolve each antenna in the tx/rz array: the diffraction limit.
In a "rich" channel, with reflectors, MIMO converges to a more complex solution, which takes advantage of the angular separation of the reflectors to resolve the individual rx/tx antennas, even if they are too close to each other to resolve with beamforming. Yes, counterintuitively MIMO capacity goes up as the channel become more complex/rich and less line-of-sight, whereas with just beamforming the capacity would typically go down.
You can sort of think of MIMO as being beamforming where beams are bouncing off widely spaced reflectors, but even that doesn't do it justice. In reality, each "beam" is replaced with complex wavefront ("mode") which is matched to the environment and each mode is orthogonal to the other.
They are describing a situation in which a line-of-sight channel is replaced with a rich/complex channel: the exact conditions under which MIMO distinguishes itself from beamforming.
I'd say incomplete rather than incorrect, and the complete story is worth knowing as it makes the solution used more interesting.
(Author here.) Yeah, I get where you're coming from. Ultimately, this was an editing decision first and foremost.
Beamforming is cool and magical, and MIMO even more so. The post wasn't intended as a primer on wireless technology, just as a fun read for folks to enjoy. I tried to sprinkle in some nerd-snipe-quality technical detail and offer links for folks who might want to dig in, and MIMO is explicitly discussed in both the 802.11n and in the several links on beamforming I provided.
I barely managed to explain beamforming without that sidenote turning into a paragraph of its own. I don't think I could have done MIMO justice in a sidenote.
I felt the need to mention the difference as so many people equate beamforming with MIMO and claim that there is no difference, when in fact that difference, which Foschini discovered in 1996, is responsible for spatial multiplexing and the high WiFi data rates we enjoy. I figured the typical HN reader might be more technical and interested in the difference, or maybe not.
Haha sadly from reading many of the rest of the comments, the typical HN reader seems unconvinced that trees or rain could impede Wi-Fi signals, because their Wi-Fi at home goes through walls just fine. A few even suggested I shouldn't have bothered with Wi-Fi and instead just laid cable across a few city blocks instead :)
But I do appreciate precise language and the desire to help people learn new things, so thanks for helping make the distinction between MIMO and beamforming clear! I hope at least a few more people know about it now thanks to your comments.
> One such piece of magic new to 802.11n Wi-Fi is called "beamfoming"
That's not quite true. 802.1ln has MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) processing, with "multiple" referring to the number of receiver and transmitter antennas. Beamforming is a special case of MIMO, and MIMO is a generalisation of beamforming.
In a "Line-of-Sight" channel with no reflectors, MIMO converges to a beamforming solution. Capacity is then limited by the ability for the rx/tx array to resolve each antenna in the tx/rz array: the diffraction limit.
In a "rich" channel, with reflectors, MIMO converges to a more complex solution, which takes advantage of the angular separation of the reflectors to resolve the individual rx/tx antennas, even if they are too close to each other to resolve with beamforming. Yes, counterintuitively MIMO capacity goes up as the channel become more complex/rich and less line-of-sight, whereas with just beamforming the capacity would typically go down.
You can sort of think of MIMO as being beamforming where beams are bouncing off widely spaced reflectors, but even that doesn't do it justice. In reality, each "beam" is replaced with complex wavefront ("mode") which is matched to the environment and each mode is orthogonal to the other.