The Relationship between Prediction Accuracy of Indoor Radio Wave Propagation and Numerical Models of the Office Environment

Abstract

Accurate modeling of the indoor radio wave propagation is important in order to design and plan wireless LAN (WLAN) networks in the indoor environment. Computer simulations are easy and convenient methods for these purposes. Until now, it was reported that the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method can assess characteristics precisely because of its high ability to model an indoor environment numerically. Our research group applied it to predict the radio wave propagation in a whole floor and a few floors of the office building. It was found from the work that numerical results depended considerably upon the numerical models of indoor environment. An office building consists of primary structures such as concrete walls and floors, and includes furniture in the rooms and reinforcing rods in the concrete walls. The paper carries out numerical electromagnetic field simulations for four distinct numerical models of the same office environment at the frequency of 2442 MHz, and discusses a relationship between the numerical model and its prediction accuracy.