Workshop on Computing, Networking and Communications

Sub 1GHz Wireless LAN Propagation Path Loss Models for Urban Smart Grid Applications
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Stefan Aust1 and Tetsuya Ito1 NEC Communication Systems, Ltd., 1753 Shimonumabe, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 211-8666, Japan {aust.st, ito.tts}@ncos.nec.co.jp

AbstractA study of Sub 1GHz urban path loss models is presented in this paper. This particular frequency band provides optimal transmission characteristics for wireless communication and new WLAN standards may use the Sub 1GHz band for license-exempt data transmission in the near future. New WLAN use cases would be possible to design, such as wireless smart grid networks for meter data transmissions in urban areas. We discuss three urban propagation path loss models for carrier frequencies at 900MHz and we make statements about the performance of a proposed Sub 1GHz path loss model candidate for WLANs including a simulation study and discuss statistical shadowing effects at 900MHz. We finally validate our study with empirical MIMO OFDM measurement models from the literature. Index TermsWLAN, Smart Grid, Sub 1GHz, IEEE 802.11ah, path loss, Lee Model, Hata Model.

Fig. 1: Sub 1GHz wireless coverage performance compared to 2.4GHz WLAN legacy systems.

I. INTRODUCTION HIS paper addresses the performance of several urban Sub 1GHz propagation path loss models which can be considered as reference models to design a new WLAN system that operates below 1GHz. We consider 2 empirical path loss models, the Lee model and the Hata Model and discuss a proposed urban path loss model as a candidate for a new WLAN system. To judge the model performance with real data we finally make a comparison with MIMO OFDM measurements which have been proposed in [1]. For the comparison study we assume a WLAN-based wireless smart grid network that uses the ISM-band (industrial, scientific and medical) to transmit measurement data from meter/sensor devices to data collection points in outdoor environments. Future smart grid communication will include data flows such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), DemandResponse (DR), Wide-Area Situational Awareness (WASA), and Distribution Grid Management. We assume that enabling WLAN-based wireless communication systems will be a good choice for smart grids providing a cost-efficient way to connect wide field sensor networks with gateways which can be mounted on poles. We further assume that already standardized wireless communication technologies will be chosen in a first deployment phase of wireless smart grids, such as UMTS, LTE or WiMAX. However, additional costs, such as licensefees or operational fees can be easily reduced when applying license-exempt wireless communication systems for smart grids such as WLANs. The IEEE 802.11 has started a new project for WLANs which will operate at Sub 1GHz beside improved outdoor transmission characteristics

compared to 2.4/5GHz legacy WLAN systems. For instance, a single Sub 1GHz AP will allow doubling the coverage range compared to IEEE 802.11 APs as shown in Fig. 1. Several path loss measurement campaigns have been conducted in urban outdoor areas such as in Thailand [2], India [3], Kuala Lumpur [4], and UK [5] and the results can be applied to 2.4/5GHz WLANs only. In the following we will discuss empirical path loss models which are useful for frequencies below 1GHz and we consider worldwide available ISM-bands which can be utilized for license-exempt wireless communication in smart grids. II. SUB 1GHZ SPECTRUM REGULATIONS AND SMART GRIDS Let us consider a license-exempt wireless smart grid system that operates in the ISM-band below 1GHz. Various countries have assigned ISM frequency bands in the Sub 1GHz with limitations in bandwidth and transmitter effective isotropically radiated power (EIRP). Note that some countries offer similar ISM-bands around 915MHz. We list worldwide ISM Sub 1GHz spectrum regulations in Table 1. Fig. 2 shows a use case that consists of one Sub 1GHz access point (AP) and multiple wireless stations (STAs) connecting gas/water/power meter with data collecting points.
TABLE 1: WORLDWIDE AVAILABLE SUB 1GHZ ISM-BANDS Country Frequency [MHz] Bandwidth [kHz] China 779-787 200 (EIRP<10mW) Korea Japan 917-923.5 950.8-957.6 (to be rebanded to 915-930 MHz in year 2012) 863-870 915-928 863-870 400 (EIRP<10mW) 200 (EIRP=1mW,5mW,10mW) 200 (EIRP<10mW) 200 (EIRP<10mW) 200 (EIRP<10mW)

Europe Australia New Zealand

978-1-4673-0009-4/12/$26.00 2012 IEEE

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A. Lee Model If the carrier frequency of interest is at 900MHz, the Lee model should be considered as one path loss model candidate. Lee [7] conducted measurements in different countries and cities and developed a path loss model that is adjustable for different environments, antenna heights and gain factors. The Lee model in [dB] is expressed in Eq. (1):
L(dB) L0  J log 10d   F0 (1)

Fig. 2: Smart grid wireless communication network use case for outdoor Sub 1GHz WLANs.

with L0 as initial attenuation at 1km, J as environmental parameter, F0 as slope of the attenuation, and d as the distance in km. B. Hata Model Hata [8] proposed a path loss model based on measurements similar to the Lee model. Although the Lee model includes several model parameters which can be freely adjusted for different antenna heights and gain factors, the Hata model is useful by avoiding additional gain parameters which are not given in some practical cases. Note that the Hata model can be applied for a wide range of frequencies below 1GHz, compared to the Lee model that is only useful at 900MHz. The Hata model in [dB] is expressed in Eq. (2):

In Table 2 we list details of the proposed Sub 1GHz smart grid use case, including coverage range and target data rate.
TABLE 2: SUB 1GHZ USE CASE CONDITIONS

# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Category Location Coverage range Carrier frequency Environment type Network deployment STA/AP communication Data rate Mobility Traffic type STA/AP capacity STA/AP elevation Actors

Comment Indoor, outdoor <1km (outdoor, sub-urban) fc <1GHz (Sub 1GHz), ISMband (license-exempt) Urban, sub-urban, rural Macro-cell (urban, sub-urban, rural), pico-cell (urban) 2-way (meter data & control) 100kbps (expected PHY data rate) Stationary Continuous/periodic/burst STA: <2000 (high dense), AP:1 STA: 2m, AP: 2m, 15m Meter device (power, gas, water), Distributed Automation Device, IEEE 802.11ah AP.

L(dB)

L0  k1 log 10 f c   k 2 log 10hTx  log 10d  (2)

with k1 ,k2 as constants, fc as the carrier frequency, AP antenna height hTx and d as the distance in meters. C. IEEE 802.11 Sub 1GHz path loss model In the current IEEE 802.11 Task Group project Sub 1 GHz (IEEE 802.11ah) two urban path loss models have been proposed with AP antenna heights hTx 2m and 15m [9]. Urban macro deployment (model 1): the antenna height is fixed at hTx =15m above rooftop and the path loss in [dB] is expressed in Eq. (3):

L(dB) 8  37.6 log10d 

(3)

III. PROPAGATION PATH LOSS MODELS In wireless communication systems one of the major parameters of interest is the path loss which is a function of distance d between sender and receiver and the carrier frequency fc. The received signal strength prediction is required for planning a wireless communication system that needs to operate in optimal performance regimes, such as accuracy and reliability. In the following we will discuss path loss models which can be applied to carrier frequencies below 1GHz. The path loss model of interest in this study is the IEEE 802.11ah proposed path loss that is currently under discussion at the IEEE 802.11 Sub 1GHz Task Group. Other proposed path loss models such as Okumura-Hata [6], COST 231 [4] or Egli [4] model are not considered, due to the different frequency range where the models can be applied to.

where distance d is in meters and the RF carrier is assumed to be equal to 900MHz. For other frequencies a correction factor G 21 log10 ( f / 900MHz) is proposed. Urban pico/hotzone deployment (model 2): the antenna height is fixed at hTx=2m at roof top level and the path loss in [dB] is expressed in Eq. (4):

L(dB )

23.3  36.7 log 10d 

(4)

with similar adjustments for other frequencies as stated above. Eq. (1)-(4) represent the median path loss. Deviation around this median to account for shadowing can be modeled by adding a random Gaussian variable with zero mean and standard deviation of 8dB for Macro deployments and 10dB for Pico deployments (as discussed in Section IV, D). In addition, the IEEE 802.11 Sub 1GHz wireless system is also

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designed for indoor communication, including penetration effects through walls and multiple floors, and several indoor use cases have been proposed, such as health monitoring and indoor sensor networks (temperature, alarm, etc.). The proposed indoor channel models for Sub 1GHz can be based on 802.11n standard models, which have been widely used in the 802.11 standard developments. The IEEE 802.11n model is described in [10] and defines an indoor MIMO channel model based on cluster and correlation modeling approach. In the cluster modeling approach, the tap-dependent and clusterdepended angular and power properties are characterized. The Kronecker product has been applied to model the correlation matrices of the MIMO channel. Based on these parameters, an accurate time-domain MIMO channel matrix can be obtained with accurate transmission correlation properties for the antenna array. It is assumed that the proposed indoor MIMO channel and path loss model that has been developed for wireless systems which operates at 2.4GHz/5GHz can be also applied to carrier frequencies below 1GHz. A difference between the path loss models at 2.4/5GHz and Sub 1GHz is assumed to be 5.5dB, operating at longer distances with multiple floors between AP and STAs. Due to the brevity of the paper we will continue to discuss outdoor models only. IV. SIMULATIONS AND NUMERICAL RESULTS We used MATLAB to plot all simulations and to compare the IEEE 802.11ah Sub 1GHz path loss model with theoretical path loss models from the literature. We setup the simulations with equal model parameters, such as AP antenna heights (hTx =2m, 15m), STA antenna heights (hRx=2m), carrier frequency (fc=900MHz) and distances. We discuss the differences between the path loss models and will identify differences and discuss the significance of our results. A. IEEE 802.11ah Model compared to the Lee Model First, we compare the 802.11ah path loss model with the Lee model between 10m-1km at fc=900MHz. It can be seen in Fig. 3 that there are significant differences in the initial attenuation at 10m which results in 24dB (hTx=2m) higher attenuation for the Lee model compared to the 802.11ah model (21dB, hTx=15m).

Fig. 4: Proposed 802.11ah model compared to Lee model (100m-10km).

Although the slope of the attenuation is reaching similar levels as for 802.11ah over distance, we conclude that the differences are significant between 10m-100m, indicating an underestimated 802.11ah path loss model at 24dB. Next we compare the 802.11ah path loss model with the Lee model between 100m-10km. Fig. 4 shows that for higher distances the attenuation is similar between the Lee model and the 802.11ah model at 10km (hTx=15m). However, in the area of interest (10m-1km) the differences in path attenuation are significant and indicating an underestimated 802.11ah path loss model. It can be concluded that the proposed 802.11ah path loss model indicates a coverage range which may not be achieved in outdoor area system deployments when we compare the path loss results with the Lee model due to the underestimated path loss. B. IEEE 802.11ah Model compared to the Hata Model The Hata model can be applied for frequencies below 1GHz and gives reasonably good agreement compared to other path loss models, such as Lee, Egli, or Okumura [4]. We applied the Hata model with urban correction factors. The Hata model is easier to use due to the fact that fewer model parameters need to be selected. If the result would be that the Hata model and the proposed 802.11ah model show a similar path loss characteristic, we would propose to use the Hata model, because the antenna height for APs and STAs can be easily adjusted to the target environment. Moreover, if a different carrier frequency is required the Hata model offers a simple way of adapting to different frequencies. The scalability and usability of the Hata model would outperform the Lee path loss model significantly. Fig. 5 shows the results of the predicted path loss between 10m and 1km for the Hata model and the 802.11ah path loss model. We compare both models at this distance to get the path loss performance for pico-cell deployments. Fig. 5 shows a significant symmetry of the 802.11ah path loss model for hTx= 2m, 15m with a constant gap of 16dB at 10m, clearly indicating a simple path loss model. In contrast the Hata model shows a changing slope for hTx=2m indicating an increased path loss due to distance.

Fig. 3: Proposed 802.11ah model compared to Lee model (10m-1km).

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Fig. 5: Proposed 802.11ah model compared to Hata model (10m-1km).

Fig. 7: Proposed 802.11ah model compared to MIMO OFDM reference model [1] (10m-1km).

It can be observed that the 802.11ah path loss model for hTx=15m shows a significant gap to the Hata model at the same antenna height. The difference between the two path loss models is at 12dB and it can be concluded that the estimated path loss in the 802.11ah model shows a significant underestimated path loss performance compared to the Hata model throughout the range of interest. Fig. 6 shows the estimated path loss results for the Hata model and the 802.11ah model between 100m and 10km. Again, the 802.11ah path loss model shows the symmetry in the slope for both antenna heights, indicating a simple channel model.

In Fig.7 the initial attenuation at 10m of the macro-cell model and the suburban model is similar, indicating an underestimated 802.11ah urban macro-cell path loss model. Next we compare the path loss model performance of the 802.11ah urban model with the reference model from [1] between 100m and 10km. Fig. 8 shows significant differences in the in the slope of the path loss models between 100m10km indicating an underestimated 802.11ah attenuation (macro-model) compared to the MIMO OFDM reference model.

Fig. 6: Proposed 802.11ah model compared to Hata model (100m-10km).

Fig 8: Proposed 802.11ah model compared to MIMO OFDM reference data [1] (100m-10km).

The distance can be estimated with 14dB between both antenna heights at 100m. The Figure shows the difference in the Hata model compared to the 802.11ah model, indicating an underestimated path loss performance for 802.11ah model. C. IEEE 802.11ah Model compared to the Reference Model Next we compare the 802.11ah model with a MIMO OFDM reference model (hTx=20m, hRx=3m) which was introduced in [1]. We note that MIMO OFDM is the proposed modulation in IEEE 802.11ah. Fig. 7 shows the path loss performance of the reference model compared to the 802.11ah urban macro-cell/pico-cell path loss model.

The figure shows that the attenuation and the slope of the 802.11ah path loss do not match with the reference model. The reference model shows a higher attenuation (6dB at 100m) and an increased slope (2dB/dec.) compared to the IEEE 802.11ah urban macro-cell path loss model. The 802.11ah urban macro-cell path loss model should indicate a higher path loss compared to suburban path loss models. We conclude that the 802.11ah path loss model significantly underestimates the path loss for urban areas compared to the reference model in [1].

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Table 3 lists the results of comparing the 802.11ah path loss model with the reference models. Compared to the Lee model, the 802.11ah path loss model shows a significant underestimation in both regions, at d=10m and d=100m, where at short distance d=10m the difference is at 24dB.
TABLE 3: ATTENUATION DIFFERENCES OF SUB 1GHZ PATH LOSS MODELS

Lee, hTx=2m Lee, hTx=15m Hata, hTx=2m Hata, hTx=15m Reference, hTx=20m Compared to the Hata model, a significant underestimation can be observed for the 802.11ah model at larger distances. In Table 3 at d=100m the path loss difference shows 12dB higher path loss, indicating an underestimation of the proposed 802.11ah path loss model. However, at d=10 the differences are marginal and even overestimating the path loss by the 802.11ah pico-cell model. For d=10m the 802.11ah pico-cell model shows a higher path loss at 3dB. We summarize the underestimation of the IEEE 802.11ah pico-cell path loss model which is 24dB at 10m and 18dB at 100m. The underestimation of the IEEE 802.11ah macro-cell path loss model is 12dB to 21dB at 10m and 12dB at 100m. We propose to adjust the initial attenuation of the IEEE 802.11ah model with the results from Table 3. Following the Hata model (Section IV, B) we propose that the initial attenuation for the 802.11ah macro-model should be 12dB. D. IEEE 802.11ah Path Loss Model with added Shadowing Finally, we make statements when path loss simulations are conducted with different random shadowing models which have been proposed for wireless smart grids [11]. We applied the 802.11ah propagation path loss model for urban macro-cell environments with random shadowing parameters V 4dB and V 8dB . Shadowing with V 8dB is a common value in outdoor wireless systems [10].

802.11ah, hTx=2m (model 2) d=10m d=100m +24dB +18dB ---3dB +1dB ---16dB -8dB

802.11ah, hTx=15m (model 1) d=10m d=100m --+21dB +12dB --+12dB +12dB -1dB +7dB

In Fig. 9 the results are shown for 2 shadowing values and 3 different transmission paths. The figure illustrates the random effect of shadowing that can be assumed for urban wireless networks, e.g., wireless smart grids, which use an IEEE 802.11ah wireless infrastructure. The negative impact of the shadowing on the path loss performance due to the increased distance can be observed in Fig. 9. In particular, the increased shadowing starting from distance at 1km shows that an optimal Sub 1GHz wireless network operates between 10m-1km when shadowing with V 8dB is applied. V. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK We have analyzed the proposed 802.11ah propagation path loss candidate model for urban areas and compared the initial path loss attenuation and slopes with empirical path loss models, namely the Lee model and the Hata model. The 802.11ah path loss model showed an underestimated path loss performance compared throughout the range of interest compared to the Lee and the Hata model. We compared the 802.11ah path loss model with an empirical MIMO OFDM model from the literature and found that the Sub 1GHz path loss model underestimated the initial attenuation and slope. Finally, we proposed to adjust the initial attenuation of the IEEE 802.11ah model with the results which we obtained from our study, in particular a higher initial attenuation with 12dB. We are planning to further investigate the path loss performance under different model conditions in our future work, including outdoor measurement campaigns with wireless equipment that operates in the 950MHz band. VI. REFERENCES
V. Erceg, P. Soma, D. S. Baum, S. Catreux, Multiple-Input MultipleOutput Fixed Wireless Radio Channel Measurements and Modeling Using Dual-Polarized Antennas at 2.5 GHz, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 3, no. 6, Nov. 2004, pp. 2288-2298. [2] P. Phetsri, A. Sungkhapong, S. Phaiboon, Micro Cell Path Loss Prediction through Hilly-Forest Terrain: A Case Study in South of Thailand, 2nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Management Science and Electronic Commerce, 2011, pp. 4670-4673. [3] M. Prasad, K. Ratnamla, et al., Mobile Communication Measurements along Railroads over Eastern-Indian Rural Regions, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, Oct. 2010, vol. 52, pp. 131-141. [4] J. Chebil, et al., Comparison of Empirical Propagation Path Loss Models for Mobile Communications in the Suburban Area of Kuala Lumpur, 4th International Conference on Mechatronics (ICOM), May 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [5] A. Valcarce, J. Zhang, Empirical Indoor-to-Outdoor Propagation Model for Residential Areas at 0.9-3.5GHz, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2010, vol. 9, pp. 682-685. [6] L. Akhoondzadeh-Asl, et al., Modification and Tuning of the Universal Okumura-Hata Model for Radio Wave Propagation Predictions, Proceedings of Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference 2007. [7] W. C. Y. Lee, Studies of Base-station Antenna Height Effects on Mobile Radio, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. VT29, no.2, 1980, pp. 252-260. [8] M. Hata, Empirical formula for propagation loss in mobile radio services, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, vol. VT-29, 1980, pp. 317-325. [9] R. Porat, SK Young, IEEE 802.11 Wireless LANs, TGah Channel Model Proposed Text, DCN 11-11-0968-00-00ha-channel-modeltext, 2011. [10] V. Erceg, et al., IEEE P802.11 Wireless LANs, TGn Channel Models IEEE 802.11-03/940r4, May 2004. [11] C.-S. Sum, H. Harada, et al., Smart Utility Networks in TV White Space, IEEE Communication Magazine, July 2011, pp. 132-139. [1]

Fig. 9: Shadowing applied to the 802.11ah path loss model (urban, macrocell) simulating shadowing effects at fc=900MHz.

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