Angular Resolved Site Characterization of Non-Line-of-Sight Wireless Links

A method and equipment for characterization of wireless paths to potential radio sites are presented. In particular, a measurement set- up is presented and experimentally verified that characterizes possible propagation paths between a hub site and a remote site that can be either in line-of-sight or non-line-of-sight. The characterization includes finding the best possible paths in terms of propagation loss, estimate the microwave path distances, and providing photo documentation of the detected paths. Such measurement can be automated and performed for a large number of possible sites before actual deployment. By using the characterization equipment presented here, an angular path direction resolution of amp;#177;2amp;#x000B0; and a path distance accuracy of better than amp;#177;5 meter can be obtained. A full scan and path characterization can be performed in less than 15 minutes per site. The method is demonstrated at 28 GHz in two different scenarios.