Passband modulation |
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Analog modulation |
Digital modulation |
Hierarchical modulation |
Spread spectrum |
See also |
Multiplexing |
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Analog modulation |
Related topics |
In telecommunications, direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is a spread-spectrum modulation technique primarily used to reduce overall signal interference. The direct-sequence modulation makes the transmitted signal wider in bandwidth than the information bandwidth. After the despreading or removal of the direct-sequence modulation in the receiver, the information bandwidth is restored, while the unintentional and intentional interference is substantially reduced.[1]
Swiss inventor, Gustav Guanella proposed a "means for and method of secret signals".[2] With DSSS, the message symbols are modulated by a sequence of complex values known as spreading sequence. Each element of the spreading sequence, a so-called chip, has a shorter duration than the original message symbols. The modulation of the message symbols scrambles and spreads the signal in the spectrum, and thereby results in a bandwidth of the spreading sequence. The smaller the chip duration, the larger the bandwidth of the resulting DSSS signal; more bandwidth multiplexed to the message signal results in better resistance against narrowband interference.[1][3]
Some practical and effective uses of DSSS include the code-division multiple access (CDMA) method, the IEEE 802.11b specification used in Wi-Fi networks, and the Global Positioning System.[4][5]