Students will acquire knowledge on wireless distributed network systems and the know-how to effectively apply these technologies to mobility services, system and environmental monitoring and data collection. In particular, students will develop competences on the medium access layer and the network layer of distributed wireless systems, and the ability to design a wireless network given the constraints that typically characterize practical smart city scenarios. In more detail, students will acquire knowledge and ability as reported below: 1. Knowledge of mobile network systems based on device-to-device communications and of sensor network applications. 2. Knowledge of protocols for radio channel access and traffic routing in distributed wireless networks and mobile networks. 3. Knowledge of the main performance metrics, which are relevant in wireless communication-based systems. 4. Ability to analyze advantages and disadvantages of different solutions for communication networks, and the trade-offs that they offer. 5. Ability to evaluate the performance of a distributed network system. 6. Ability to assess the suitability of a wireless technology to a given environment for application support. 7. Ability to design a channel access protocol for wireless and mobile networks. 8. Ability to design a routing protocol for wireless networks under practical constraints and in relevant scenarios.

Basic knowledge of: (i) telecommunication networks, (ii) propagation of electromagnetic waves and (iii) probability theory.

The course includes lectures, numerical exercises, and lab activities, which focus on wireless and mobile distributed systems. In particular, they describe the main existing and emerging technologies and highlight their features and challenges in different application scenarios. The topics covered by the course, and their weight expressed in hours, are as follows: - Mobile networks and device-to-device communication: generalities, classification and main issues (4 h) - Channel access techniques in distributed wireless networks (12 h) - The Bluetooth technology (4 h) - Connected cars: services, network architecture, channel access techniques and main technical challenges (4h). - Sensor networks: generalities and applications; channel access techniques (5 h) - Proactive and reactive routing protocols for mobile networks (7 h) - Network topology control and traffic routing for sensor networks (4 h). Numerical exercises, experimental performance evaluation, and software demonstrations account for 20 h.

The exercises/lab activities aim at clarifying and further investigating some of the concepts that are presented during the class lecturers. They mainly consist in the presentation and solution of numerical problems, and in the experimentation or demonstration of software solutions that are currently available for device-to-device communication. Lectures are held with the support of slides, while numerical exercises are presented and solved using the blackboard. Technical discussions during class lectures will also help to assess the acquired level of knowledge and ability at the different stages of the course. Typically, the course hosts a couple of seminars by companies working in the filed of smart communication and transportation systems. Such seminaries provide further examples on how wireless technologies are applied to smart city services.

The teaching material consists of copy of the slides presented during the course, text of numerical problems, and suggested reading. The recording of previous year's class will also be available. All the material is available on the web portal of the course. Useful references are as follows: - M. Gast, ed. (2002): "802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide," O'Reilly (Networking), ISBN 978-0596001834. - M. Felegyhazi, J.-P. Hubaux, "Game Theory in Wireless Networks: A Tutorial," IEEE Communications Magazine. - C.S. Raghavendra, K.M. Krishna, M. Sivalingam, T. Znati, Wireless Sensor Networks, Kluwer Academic Publisher, 2004.

Lecture slides; Lecture notes; Exercise with solutions ; Lab exercises; Video lectures (current year); Video lectures (previous years);

Exam: Written test; Group essay;

The exam consists of a written test, which lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes. It is a closed-book exam, i.e., students cannot use textbooks, copy of the slides, or copy of the solutions of numerical problems. The test focuses on all course topics. The test includes about 4 questions, among which there is at least one numerical problem to solve. The remaining questions require the description and/or the analysis of system aspects and can be open or multiple-choice questions. The open questions, as well as the multiple-choice questions if any, aim at assessing the students' knowledge on mobile distributed network systems, channel access techniques, topology adaptation, and traffic routing mechanisms, as well as their understanding of protocols and algorithms to be used and configured in specific scenarios. Importantly, the test also aims to evaluate the students' ability to select a technological solution depending on the different practical conditions and applications. The numerical problems aim at verifying the competences acquired by the students on distributed channel access, sensor networks and traffic routing schemes, as well as their ability to correctly configure a network system. Each question is assigned a number of points, which reflects the level of difficulty of the question/problem. The answers to open questions are evaluated considering their correctness, the level of knowledge that the student has acquired on the topic, and the student’s ability to precisely answer the question and to clearly communicate the technical material with accurate terms. Multiple-choice questions (if any) are evaluated based on their correctness; no penalty (negative mark) is assigned in case of wrong answer. The solution of numerical problems is evaluated based on its correctness and technical rigor, on the rational followed by the student and on the student’s ability to apply the acquired know-how. The mark obtained through the written test is computed by summing the marks obtained in each question and the maximum grade that once can get in the written test is 28. Additionally, students have to work in groups and carry out the assignments proposed during the lab activities. They are required to deliver written reports on how they executed the assigned tasks, the difficulties they have faced, and the solutions they found. Participating in the lab activity is mandatory, in order to pass the exam. The overall mark students receive on the written reports on lab activities will range between 0 and 4 points. The final mark will be computed by summing the points obtained for the lab activity reports to the mark received in the written test, with the maximum final grade (namely, 30 cum lode) corresponding to a total of 32 points. The minimum final mark students have to achieve in order to pass the exam is 18/30. Examples of numerical problems from previous tests (along with their solution) are made available through the course web portal. Examples of questions other than numerical problems, are provided during the class.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.