MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output. It’s a technology that uses multiple transmitters and receivers (antennas) to send and receive more data at the same time.
1️⃣ Single User MIMO (SU-MIMO):
SU-MIMO is a strategy where the multiple antennas are used at both the transmitter and receiver end, but they’re focused on serving a single user or device.
For example, your home WiFi router might use SU-MIMO to deliver faster speeds to your computer. Imagine that your router has four antennas and your computer also has two antennas.
These antennas work together, sending and receiving different parts of the same data stream to and from the router and the computer.
2️⃣ Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO):
MU-MIMO, on the other hand, can serve multiple users or devices at the same time.
For example, a cell tower might use MU-MIMO to serve multiple smartphones at the same time. Imagine a cell tower with multiple antennas sending data to three different smartphones.
Each smartphone would receive a different data stream at the same time.
3️⃣ Massive MIMO:
Massive MIMO is an extension of MU-MIMO, where a large number of antennas (typically 64 or 128, sometimes even more) are used at the base station to serve many devices simultaneously.
For example, in a crowded football stadium with thousands of smartphone users, a base station with massive MIMO can handle all the data traffic without any noticeable drop in performance.
4️⃣ Beamforming MIMO:
Beamforming is a traffic-signaling system for base stations that identifies the most efficient data-delivery route to a particular user, and it reduces interference for everyone else.
For example, imagine you’re in a building with many other smartphone users. The base station identifies the best route to send data to your device(like a straight line) without interfering with the signal to other devices.
These types of MIMO in 5G networks can greatly increase the capacity, speed, and efficiency of the network, providing a better experience for users.
