Sensitivity in Receivers for WirelessTechnical Brief SWRA030 Understanding and Enhancing Sensitivity in Receivers for Wireless Applications Edited by Matt Loy Wireless Communication Business Unit Abstract This technical brief provides an overview of communication receiver sensitivity. One of the most important parameters in determining the overall performance of a communication system, receiver sensitivity translates directly into communication distance and reliability. A few receiver architectures can offer dependable communication at low cost, if proper design procedures and trade-offs are implemented. RF amplifiers, mixers, and filters are common circuit building blocks for every architecture. System performance is tied to each individual block comprising the receiver. Each circuit generates noise that degrades reception……