Lecture 3
Wireless Channel Propagation Model
Prof. Shamik Sengupta
Office 4210 N
[email protected] http://jjcweb.jjay.cuny.edu/ssengupta/
What have we covered in last 2 lectures
An overview of wireless technologies
– Evolution of wireless
Basic Cellular concept
– The hexagon “cell” concept
– Frequency reuse
Today, we will cover
– Basic concepts of wireless communications and
– Wireless channel propagation models
Wireless Communication
What is wireless communication?
– Basically the study of how signals travel in the wireless medium
– To understand wireless networking, we first need to understand
the basic characteristics of wireless communications
– How further the signal can travel
– How strong the signal is
– How much reliable would it be (how frequently the signal strength vary)
– Indoor propagation
– Outdoor propagation and
– Many more…
– Wireless communication is significantly different from wired
communication
Wireless Propagation Characteristics
Most wireless radio systems operate in
urban area
– No direct line-of-sight (los) between
transmitter and receiver
Radio wave propagation attributed to
– Reflection
– Diffraction and
– Scattering Reflection (R), diffraction (D) and scattering (S).
Waves travel along different paths of
varying lengths
– Multipath propagation
– Interaction of these waves can be
constructive or destructive
Wireless Propagation Characteristics(contd.)
Strengths of the waves decrease as the distance between Tx and Rx
increase
We need Propagation models that predict the signal strength at Rx
from a Tx
One of the challenging tasks due to randomness and unpredictability
in the surrounding environment
Pr v
Pt
d=vt
Wireless Propagation Models
Can be categorized into two types:
– Large-scale propagation models
– Small-scale propagation models
Large-scale propagation models
– Propagation models that characterize signal strengths over Tx-
Rx separation distance
Small-scale propagation models
– Characterize received signal strengths varying over short scale
– Short travel distance of the receiver
– Short time duration
Wireless Propagation Models (contd.)
Large-scale propagation
Small-scale propagation
Pr/Pt Fast
Pt
Pr v Very slow
d=vt
d=vt
Large-scale propagation model
Also known as Path loss model
There are numerous path loss models
– Free space path loss model
– Simple and good for analysis
– Mostly used for direct line-of-sight
– Not so perfect for non-LOS but can be approximated
– Ray-tracing model
– 2-ray propagation model
– Site/terrain specific and can not be generalized easily
– Empirical models
– Modeled over data gathered from experiments
– Extremely specific
– But more accurate in the specific environment
Free space Path Loss Model
What is the general principle?
– The received power decays as a function of Tx-Rx
separation distance raised to some power
– i.e., power-law function
Path loss for unobstructed LOS path
Power falls off :
– Proportional to d2
Pt
Pr ( d ) 2
d
Free space Path Loss Model (contd.)
Pt Gt Gr 2
Pr (d )
(4 ) d L
2 2
4 Ae
where, G
2
c
and ,
f
Free space Path Loss (contd.)
What is the path loss?
– Represents signal attenuation
Tx power Pt
Rx power Pr
– What will be the order of path loss for a FM radio system that
transmits with 100 kW with 50 km range?
– Also calculate: what will be the order of path loss for a Wi-Fi
radio system that transmits with 0.1 W with 100 m range?
Path Loss in dB
It is difficult to express Path loss using transmit/receive
power
– Can be very large or
– Very small
Expressed as a positive quantity measured in dB
– dB is a unit expressed using logarithmic scale
– Widely used in wireless
Pt Gt Gr 2
PL(dB) 10 log 10 log 2
– With unity antenna gain, Pr ( 4 ) 2
d
Pt 2
PL(dB) 10 log 10 log 2
Pr ( 4 ) 2
d
dBm and dBW
dBm and dBW are other two variations of dB
– dB references two powers (Tx and Rx)
– dBm expresses measured power referenced to one mW
– Particularly applicable for very low received signal strength
– dBW expresses measured power referenced to one watt
– dBm Widely used in wireless
– P in mW
In a wireless card specification, it is written that typical range for
IEEE 802.11 received signal strength is -60 to -80 dBm. What is
P
the received signal strength range in terms or mW?
of watt
x dBm 10 log
1mW
Relationship between dB and dBm
What is the relationship between dB and dBm?
– In reality, no such relationship exists
– dB is dimensionless
– dB is 10 log(value/value) and dBm is 10 log (value/1miliwatt)
However, we can make a quick relationship between dBm and
dBW and use the concept wisely!
x dBm x
3
10
x 10 in W
10
10 in mW
x
x 10( 3) in dBW
10 10
/ 103 in W 10
x
3 x 30 in dBW
10
10 in W
Back to Path Loss model
We saw Path loss expressed in dB
Pt 2
PL(dB) 10 log 10 log 2
Pr ( 4 ) 2
d
– Note, the above eqn does not hold for d=0
For this purpose, a close-in distance d0 is used as a reference point
– It is assumed that the received signal strength at d0 is known
– Received signal strength is then calculated relative to d0
– For a typical Wi-Fi analysis,
d dd00 can be 1 m.
Back to Path Loss model (contd.)
The received power at a distance d is then
2
d0
Pr ( d ) Pr ( d 0 )
d
In dBm,
d0
2
Pr (d 0 )
Pr (d ) (dBm ) 10 log d
1mW
P (d ) d
Pr ( d ) ( dBm ) 10 log r 0 20 log 0
1mW d
d
Pr ( d ) ( dBm ) Pr ( d 0 )( dBm ) 20 log 0
d
Numerical example
If a transmitter transmits with 50 W with a 900 MHz carrier
frequency, find the received power in dBm at a free space distance
of 100 m from the transmitter. What is the received power in dBm
at a free space distance of 10 km?
Path Loss Model Generalized
In reality, direct LOS may not exist in urban areas
Free space Path Loss model is therefore generalized
n
d
Pr ( d ) Pr ( d 0 ) 0
– n is called the Path Loss exponent d
– Indicates the rate at which the Path Loss increases with
distance d, obstructions in the path, surrounding environment
– The worse the environment is the greater the value of n
Path Loss Exponents for different environments
Environment Path Loss Exponent, n
Free space 2
Urban area cellular radio 2.7 – 3.5
Urban area cellular (obstructed) 3–5
In-building line-of-sight 1.6 – 1.8
Obstructed in-building 4–6
Obstructed in-factories 2–3
Path Loss Model Generalized (contd.)
Generalized Path Loss referenced in dB scale
n
d
Pr ( d ) Pr ( d 0 ) 0
d
Pt Pt d
10 log 10 log 10 n log
Pr (d ) Pr (d 0 ) d0
d
PL(d ) PL(d 0 ) 10n log
d0
Received signal strength referenced in dBm scale
P (d ) Pr ( d 0 ) d0
10 log r 10 log 1mW 10 n log d
1mW
Path Loss Example
Consider Wi-Fi signal in this building. Assume power at a
reference point d0 is 100mW. The reference point d0=1m.
Calculate your received signal strength at a distance, d=100m.
Also calculate the power received in mW. Assume n=4.
This is a typical Wi-Fi received signal strength.
Indoor Propagation Model
The indoor radio channel differs from the traditional mobile
radio channel in outdoor
– Distances covered are much smaller
– Variability of the environment is much greater
Propagation inside buildings strongly influenced by specific
features
– Layout and building type
– Construction materials
– Even door open or closed
– Same floor or different floors
Partition Losses
Partition Losses
Partition Losses
– Same floor
– Between floors
– Characterized by a new factor called Floor Attenuation Factors (FAF)
– Based on building materials
– FAF mostly empirical (computed over numerous tests)
d
PL(d ) PL(d 0 ) 10nSF log FAF[dB]
d0
– For example,
– FAF through one floor approx. 13 dB
– Two floors 18.7 dB
– Three floors 25 dB and so on…
Cellular Model (signal to interference)
From the propagation model,
n
d
Pr ( d ) Pr ( d 0 ) 0
d
Let’s combine today’s concept with last week’s cellular concept
– Let’s find out signal to interference
Q: co-channel
Reuse ratio
m co-channel
interferer S S R n ( D / R) n ( 3N ) n
m
m
Ii Di
I n m m
Cell radius R
Co-channel i 1 i 1
interferer distance Di
In a cellular radio system with 7-cell reuse pattern and a 6 co-
channel interferers, what is the signal to interference in dB?
Assume Path loss exponent = 4.
Numerical example (signal to interference)
In a cellular radio system, the required signal to
interference must be at least 15 dB. What should be
the cluster size (N) if Path loss exponent = 3. Assume
6 co-channel interferers.
Soln hint:
( 3 Let’s
N ) assume N =7
n 3
( 3* 7 ) To convert it to dB,
m 16.04
S 6 do 10log(16.04) = 12.05 dB
I
This is still less than reqd 15 dB.
So we need to use a larger N. Try for next feasible N.
Mobile Radio Propagation: Small scale fading
What is small-scale fading?
– In contrast to large-scale propagation we studied so far
– Small-scale fading describe rapid fluctuation of the signal over
– short period of time and/or
– short travel distance
Pr v
Pt
d=vt
Factors influencing small-scale fading
Multipath propagation
– Interference between two or more versions of the transmitted signal
– Arrive at the receiver at slightly different times
Speed of the Mobile
– Relative motion between Base Station and the mobile
– Signals travel varying distances
Speed of the surrounding objects
– Typically this can be ignored if the obstacles are fixed
– May not be so in a busy urban area
