Investigation of secure wireless regions using configurable beamforming on WARP

In this paper, we examine a novel approach to network security against passive eavesdroppers. By configuring antenna array beam patterns to transmit data to specific regions, it is possible to create defined regions of coverage for targeted users. By adapting the antenna configuration according to the intended user´s channel state information, this allows the vulnerability to eavesdropping to be reduced. We present the application of our concept to 802.11n networks where an antenna array is employed at the access point. A range of array configurations is examined in a ray-tracing model and realized using the Wireless Open-Access Research Platform (WARP).