Wireless Connectivity: An Intuitive and Fundamental Guide
Harpreet S. Dhillon · IEEE Communications Magazine · 2023
At least three skills are necessary to write a book like this: (i) deep technical expertise to explain concepts from different perspectives, (ii) broad systems knowledge to make non-trivial connections across different ideas, and (iii) wit to convey these ideas in an engaging style. Prof. Popovski has made use of these in abundance in this book. In addition to being an excellent reference book for anyone working on wireless, this book also fills an important gap. There is no denying that mathematics is the bedrock for communication system design. However, in my experience, introductory communications classes in many undergraduate programs expose students to too much mathematics too soon, which while fundamentally important, may prevent these students from seeing the forest for the trees. This might discourage some students from going further into communications, especially if they were already on the fence about choosing between this and some other area. A gentler introduction, such as in this book, could perhaps be a good way to first hook them to the area and then take them through more rigorous mathematical ideas in the follow-up courses. By then, they will be able to understand and appreciate the need for mathematical rigor a lot better. In summary, this is an excellent book that should be on every wireless enthusiast, researcher, and practitioner’s bookshelf.