November 1999 | Technical Report NTIA TR-00-372
Indoor Polarization and Directivity Measurements at 5.8 GHz
Cite This Publication
Michael G. Cotton, Robert J. Achatz, Yeh Lo, and Christopher L. Holloway, “Indoor Polarization and Directivity Measurements at 5.8 GHz,” Technical Report NTIA TR-00-372, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, November 1999.
Michael G. Cotton 
, Robert J. Achatz , Yeh Lo, and Christopher L. Holloway
Abstract: This report investigates how antenna polarization and directivity affect indoor radio channel bandwidth and signal coverage. Indoor impulse response measurements were taken at 5.8 GHz for four canonical propagation conditions: within a room, down a corridor, from a corridor into a room, and around a corridor corner. Directional linearly-polarized (LP), directional circularly-polarized (CP), and omnidirectional LP antennas were employed, and conclusions were drawn from basic transmission loss, rms delay spread, and cross-polarization discrimination results. Measurements indicated less LP basic transmission loss than CP basic transmission loss for both line-of-sight (LOS) and obstructed (OBS) channels. Also, LP rms delay spread was similar to CP rms delay spread in both LOS and OBS paths. The apparent advantage of using LP signals over CP signals indoors may be attributed to the relatively high degree of circular depolarization measured. Results also supported the use of omnidirectional antennas indoors to improve signal coverage. Omnidirectional measurements, however, demonstrated large delay spreads for some extraneous cases. These cases are emphasized to demonstrate the potential diversity holds for improving bandwidth capacity of indoor communication systems.
Keywords: basic transmission loss; polarization; delay spread; complex impulse response measurements; indoor propagation; cross-polarization discrimination; antenna directivity
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Linh P. Vu
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
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LVu@ntia.gov
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