Analysis of IEEE 802.11 signal propagation in different use cases
Викулов Антон Сергеевич, Alexander Paramonov · 2021
The IEEE 802.11 standard is widely used in the modern access networks. The design process of every WLAN includes the estimation of signal characteristics for the required coverage area. This is typically made with a help of specialized software that is used to prepare predictive heatmaps that take into account the many effects of the signal propagation. From the other hand, when analyzing the existing WLAN operation we need to check how the real-world WLAN characteristics meet the initial requirements. The most important parameters are signal-to-noise ratio and signal strength level measured at the side of the client device. Signal strength depends on the transmission power level of the access point, antenna gain, and attenuation of signal. In the present paper the measurements of signal strength level have been carried out in different scenarios that include both indoor and outdoor wireless LAN implementations, elevator shaft signal propagation and case without obstacles. Thus the paper provides the analysis of IEEE 802.11 signal propagation in different practical scenarios and considers the fractal characteristics of the signal strength level as a function of distance.