An Advanced IEEE 802.11b Channel Sounder based on PN Correlation and High Resolution Algorithms

This paper reports on the development of an advanced WLAN IEEE 802.11b channel sounder. This measurement system is portable, saves costs, and exploits directly the physical layer characteristics of WLAN to measure the path loss and the channel impulse response. A correlation-based echo detection has been implemented in conjunction with superresolution times of arrival estimation algorithms to estimate the channel impulse response. The time domain measurements have been compared with frequency domain measurements using a vector network analyzer within a large hall and within an indoor office environment.