The Measurement of Frequency Dependent Path Loss in Residential LOS Environments using Time Domain UWB Channel Sounding

Future ultra wide-band (UWB) systems will probably use bandwidths exceeding 1 GHz to achieve the data rates necessary for wireless video streaming and rapid file transfer. It is therefore essential to consider how propagation losses vary as a function of frequency, especially because the dynamic range of commercial UWB receivers is limited by the analogue-to-digital converter (ADC). This paper characterizes the line-of-sight (LOS) frequency dependent path losses encountered in a residential environment using a prototype UWB time domain channel sounder. Importantly, results show that the frequency dependent path loss exponent varies as much over small areas (0.1 m²), as it does over widely spaced areas.