Ambiguity Function Analysis of Wireless LAN Transmissions for Passive Radar

Wireless transmission is becoming an increasingly widely available source of transmissions for passive radar detection. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the ambiguity function (AF) of a range of typical IEEE 802.11 signals obtained during a series of experimental trials. Theoretical analysis has been used to identify the average properties of basic signal types in terms of resolution and sidelobe levels in both the range and Doppler domains. The theoretical model of a range of typical 802.11 transmissions has been verified and range and Doppler resolutions have been investigated for a range of transmission types. It has been found that using Doppler with a suitable integration time can enable detection of typical personnel targets. A number of issues relating to the use of these transmissions have been identified during this study.