TY - JOUR
T1 - A survey on directional modulation: opportunities, challenges, recent advances , implementations, and future trends
AU - Fusco, Vincent
AU - Jiang, Chen
AU - Xiao, Yue
AU - Xia, Lei
AU - Ding, Yuan
AU - Niu, Hong
AU - Liu, Kanglai
AU - Zhong, Yuan
AU - Yang, Shuaixin
AU - Xiang, Wei
PY - 2025/5/29
Y1 - 2025/5/29
N2 - Directional modulation (DM) is a physical layersecurity (PLS) technique implemented at the transmitter, leveragingantenna arrays to ensure secure communications. Througha process of spatial precoding between transceivers to transmitsignals in specific directions, DM is capable of disrupting communicationsin unintended directions to prevent eavesdropping.In general, recent progress in the development of multipleinputmultiple-output (MIMO) systems, including advanced radiofrequency (RF), antenna technologies, along with innovativeprecoding algorithms, has enhanced the capabilities of DMtechniques, leading to a multitude of robust DM variants.Hence, this survey aims to offer a comprehensive overview ofDM, covering its fundamentals, promising variants, applications,hardware implementations, and future trends. Initially, the basicprinciple of DM is outlined in a general manner for subsequentcomprehension. Subsequently, the large family of DM techniquesis categorized into distinct variants based on the types oftransmitting arrays. Next, we give a comprehensive survey of DMin common wireless scenarios, including multi-user (MU), relay,Internet of Things (IoT), and non-orthogonal access (NOMA)networks. Furthermore, we provide an illustration of DM system implementations, encompassing foundational architectures and cost-effective hardware realizations. Finally, concerning the unresolved challenges and current research focal points in DM, we present future research directions that merit further exploration and reference.
AB - Directional modulation (DM) is a physical layersecurity (PLS) technique implemented at the transmitter, leveragingantenna arrays to ensure secure communications. Througha process of spatial precoding between transceivers to transmitsignals in specific directions, DM is capable of disrupting communicationsin unintended directions to prevent eavesdropping.In general, recent progress in the development of multipleinputmultiple-output (MIMO) systems, including advanced radiofrequency (RF), antenna technologies, along with innovativeprecoding algorithms, has enhanced the capabilities of DMtechniques, leading to a multitude of robust DM variants.Hence, this survey aims to offer a comprehensive overview ofDM, covering its fundamentals, promising variants, applications,hardware implementations, and future trends. Initially, the basicprinciple of DM is outlined in a general manner for subsequentcomprehension. Subsequently, the large family of DM techniquesis categorized into distinct variants based on the types oftransmitting arrays. Next, we give a comprehensive survey of DMin common wireless scenarios, including multi-user (MU), relay,Internet of Things (IoT), and non-orthogonal access (NOMA)networks. Furthermore, we provide an illustration of DM system implementations, encompassing foundational architectures and cost-effective hardware realizations. Finally, concerning the unresolved challenges and current research focal points in DM, we present future research directions that merit further exploration and reference.
U2 - 10.1109/JIOT.2025.3574824
DO - 10.1109/JIOT.2025.3574824
M3 - Article
SN - 2327-4662
VL - 14
JO - IEEE Internet of Things Journal
JF - IEEE Internet of Things Journal
IS - 8
ER -