Multipath propagation assessment for a 2.4 GHz short-range wireless communication system

In this paper we assess the effects of multipath propagation on the link performance of a short-range wireless device, like the Bluetooth, in an indoor office environment. Specifically, we analyze the non line of sight (NLOS) propagation scenario and confirm the theoretical statistics of the fading using real measurements and finite element method (FEM) simulations of the environment. The simulations are also used for assessing the impact of multipath propagation when doors are opened or closed. In addition, we also investigate the improvement in performance resulting from receive diversity gain of a system employing multiple receive antennas with various combining techniques.