On WiMAX performance in license-free 5 GHz band using a beam-switching antenna

WiMAX is the very well known 802.16 technology certified by the WiMAX forum. However, it is not largely known that the IEEE 802.16 standard foresees an option to use the technology on the license-free 5 GHz band. For such a use, the EIRP requirements for the 5 GHz band must be respected. The use of WiMAX technology in that band may be an interesting option for wireless backhauling and wireless mesh networks. Usually based on WiFi technology, the WiMAX technology has the advantage to be better conceived for outdoor environments and to possess QoS features which WiFi cannot offer. We investigate in this paper the performance of the IEEE 802.16-2004 standard in the 5 GHz band. On the client side a classic antenna and a beam-switching antenna were used. The tests were executed in the framework of a WiMAX multi-hop network set up in the context of the European FP7 project SMART-Net. The tests were carried out in Lannion, France.