IEEE 802.11ah SDR Implementation and Range Evaluation
Stefan Tschimben, Kevin K. Gifford, Roland Brown · 2019
The new 802.11ah standard promises to considerably extend the range of Wi-Fi networks by operating in the 902-928 MHz ISM band in the US. While the narrower band results in a lower available data rate, the new standard offers a number of advantageous features such as the restricted access window, traffic indication maps, and target wake time. However, as 802.11ah hardware is still in development, empirical outdoor results for the new standards are missing. The goal of this research project was to implement a simple 802.11ah transmitter and receiver using two software defined radios running a GNU Radio model emulating the new standard. Tests were conducted at three different test sites simulating three different test environments. Results show that 802.11ah can more than keep its promise of Wi-Fi beyond one kilometer as acceptable packet drop rates were still achieved at a distance of 2.7 km.