Average Signal Level Prediction in an Indoor WLAN Using a Wall Imperfection Model

Abstract:
This paper presents a novel approach for the estimation of the local average signal level in an arbitrary indoor environment based on a wall imperfection model. A ray-tracing tool based on the method of images with angular information, is used to estimate the distribution of field strength (or coverage) in an arbitrary environment. The spatial sampling approach for signal level distribution prediction is studied. The wall imperfection model is then introduced to study the sensitivity of the received signal level at an arbitrary location to imperfect wall positioning and electromagnetic material properties. An alternative approach to estimate the local mean signal level at a particular point is proposed based on the introduced wall imperfection model to reduce the computation time compared to the spatial sampling approach.