Effects of the number of discrete delay components on the accuracy of wireless channel simulation

In this paper we investigate the effect of the number and delays of discrete channel impulse response components on the accuracy of wireless system simulations. The subject is relevant in considering large systems such as wireless networks, where realistic results are required, but it is also necessary to apply models that are simple enough to enable practically realizable simulation times. We present basic criteria for estimating the accuracy of discrete channel profiles, and use these to examine both analytical channel models, and models derived directly from channel measurements. We use average simulation performance, frequency response correlation, and theoretical capacity as performance measures for evaluating the effect of varying the number of discrete model components used.