AN INVESTIGATION ON THE USE OF ITU-R P.1411-7 IN 802.11N PATH LOSS MODELLING

Abstract

Free space path loss modelling is a model used to model path loss propagation for Wireless Local Area Networks. In some cases, the estimation of path loss by the FSL model can be inaccurate as it does not take into account the effects of multipath propagation. The International Telecommunication Union Recommendation, ITU-R P.1411-7 provides prediction methods for the planning of short-range outdoor radio communication systems and radio local area networks in the frequency range of 300 MHz to 100 GHz. This recommendation further proposes a location variability correction, ρ, which models the standard deviation of field strength due to small scale fading. This paper investigates the feasibility of using the ITU-R P.1141-7 Recommendation to estimate the path loss for 802.11n signals experienced by pedestrians in a suburban environment. Received signal strengths were collected from field experiments, and the measured path loss was compared with estimated path loss values. The results show that for areas with high levels of small scale fading, the ITU-R P.1141-7 was able to estimate the path loss for IEEE 802.11n signals with a higher accuracy of 10 dB than the FSL model.