Characterization of MIMO channels for handheld devices in personal area networks at 5 GHz

In this paper we analyze the properties of MIMO channels for personal area networks (PANs). Such channels differ from propagation channels in wide-area networks due to several reasons: (i) the environments in which the systems operate are different, (ii) the mobility models and ranges are different, (iii) the influence from human presence in the environment is different. In this paper, we present results from a measurement campaign for PAN channels between two handheld devices. The measurements are conducted over distances of 1-10 m using two handheld four-element antenna devices. For each distance, a number of channel realizations are obtained by moving the devices over a small area, and by rotating the persons holding the devices. We find that the correlation between the antenna elements is low. The small-scale statistics of the amplitude are well described by the Rayleigh distribution in many cases, but the effects of shadowing by the body of the operator can lead to different statistics.