Performance of UWB devices in a metal turreted environment

This paper compares the results of measurements between a direct sequence (DS) ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver and a multiband (MB) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) UWB transceiver in a laboratory setting and inside a light armored vehicle (LAV). Measurements include throughput, packet completion rate and latency. The inside of a LAV is almost like a metal chamber, with non line of sight conditions from the turret to the back of the vehicle which presents some interesting challenges. The metal allows for reflections of the signal to achieve a further range than line of sight conditions, but performance is inconsistent. The measurements are used to understand the channel inside a LAV better, the achieveable throughputs, and if UWB devices can be used for tactical applications, such as transfer of data from a turret in a LAV.