ETN 4086

Mobile and Satellite Communications

Lab Manual
MSC1: Propagation Path Loss Measurement

Please read the lab sheet thoroughly before preparing the lab report

Name/ID : Muhammad Afwan Bin Mohd Ariffin / 1151104911

Group : EC01

Majoring : TE

Date : Due Tuesday 5/12/2022

Prepared by MYA/August 2020 1/4

 EXPERIMENT MSC1
PROPAGATION PATH LOSS MEASUREMENT

1. OBJECTIVES
 To acquire the technique of measuring the propagation path loss.
 To estimate the path loss exponent based on the measured power.
 To show the different path loss measurement at different parts of a building.

2. INTRODUCTION
Path loss in free space plays an important role in wireless communication system design.
It is inevitable in link budget calculation, in determining the signal coverage or the required
transmit power. In general, the average large-scale power path loss, ̅̅̅̅
𝑃𝐿(𝑑), is found to
follow this power law equation

̅̅̅̅
𝑃𝐿(𝑑) ∝ (𝑑/𝑑0 )𝑛 (1)

The power received at distant d is (from Eq. (1) Chaper 3 Lecture note)

𝑑 𝑛 𝑑 −𝑛
𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) = 𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 ) ( 𝑑0 ) = 𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 ) (𝑑 ) 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠 (2)
0

Or, in the logarithmic form,

𝑑
10 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = 10 𝑙𝑜𝑔 [𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 )] 𝑑𝐵𝑚 − 10𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑔 (𝑑 ) (3)
0

where d is the transmitter-receiver separation, 𝑑0 is the close-in reference distance, n is

commonly known as the path loss exponent, and 𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 ) is the power level at d0.
The path loss exponent value, n, is to be determined for the given environment.
3. EQUIPMENT LIST
 Laptop – Wifi Analyzer (Windows)
 1 unit of measuring device (measuring tape)
 1 unit of WiFi access point

4. PROCEDURES
a) The WiFi access point is functioned as a base station in this experiment while the
Laptop is functioned as the receiver.
b) The access point is placed at an open spot at the end of the lab hallway.

Figure 1: WiFi access point is placed at a spot in the hallway.

c) The WiFi access point is switched on.

d) The mobile device is connected to the access point with SSID called ‘ETN2046-
Extender-1’.
e) Wifi analyzer is used to measure the WiFi signals.

Figure 2: Wifi Analyzer

f) The wavelength,  is calculated depending on the frequency of the access point.
Wifi frequency,  = 5GHz
Speed of light, 𝑐 = 3 × 108
𝑐 3×108
𝑊𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ,  =  = 5×109 = 0.06

g) Using the Wifi analyzer app, the power received is measured at an interval of 1 meter
from 𝑑0 = 0𝑚 which is determined larger than the wavelength calculated. The power
received is measured for at least 20 points.

Figure 3: Signal is measured at d0 using Laptop from the access point.

5. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
a. Tabulation of data for Pr(d), Pr(d0), Pr(d) – Pr(d0) and 10 log(d/d0). The close-in
reference is chosen at 𝑑0 = 0.5𝑚. The power measured from d0 as the close-in
𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 ) = −25.6 dBm.
Distance between
Power Received,
access point and Pr(d) – Pr(d0)
Pr(d) 10 log(d/d0)
receiver, d (dB)
(dBm)
(m)
d0 = 0/0.5 Pr(d0) = -25.6 0 0
1 -27.6 -2 3.01
2 -34.4 -8.8 6.02
3 -39.4 -13.8 7.78
 4 -42 -16.4 9.03
5 -45.2 -19.6 10.00
6 -45.4 -19.8 10.79
7 -47.4 -21.8 11.46
8 -58.8 -33.2 12.04
9 -57.2 -31.6 12.55
10 -62.6 -37 13.01
11 -58.4 -32.8 13.42
12 -64.6 -39 13.80
13 -68.2 -42.6 14.15
14 -61.4 -35.8 14.47
15 -63 -37.4 14.77
16 -63 -37.4 15.05
17 -67.6 -42 15.31
18 -68.6 -43 15.56
19 -70.4 -44.8 15.80
20 -71.6 -46 16.02

Table 1: Table of Distance between AP and Receiver (m), Power Received Pr(d), Pr(d)-Pr(d0), 10 log (d/d0).

b. The graph of Power Received Pr(d0), Pr(d) – Pr(d0) versus Estimated Power 10 log(d/d0)
using best-fit line is plotted for further analysis.

Figure 4: Graph of Pr(d) – Pr(d0) versus 10 log(d/d0).

c. To relate the plot to the path loss model introduced at the beginning of this instruction
sheet. Also, to illustrate how I determine the path loss, n, from the plot. Together with
the calculation of finding minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimated for 𝑛
It is well known that :
̅̅̅̅(𝑑) ∝ (𝑑/𝑑0 )𝑛
𝑃𝐿
While the power received at distance,d is given by the following
𝑑0 𝑛 𝑑 −𝑛
𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) = 𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 ) ( ) = 𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 ) ( ) 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑠
𝑑 𝑑0
Or, in its logarithmic form,
𝑑
10 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = 10 𝑙𝑜𝑔 [𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 )] 𝑑𝐵𝑚 − 10𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑔 (𝑑 )
0

where with a simple alteration of the equation give us;

𝑑
10 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑃𝑟 (𝑑)𝑑𝐵 − 10𝑙𝑜𝑔[𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 )]𝑑𝐵 = −10𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑔 (𝑑 )
0

In a straight line equation of 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑐, the value y in this case is represented by

𝑦 = 10 log 𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) 𝑑𝐵 − 10 𝑙𝑜𝑔[𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 )] 𝑑𝐵
and the value x is
𝑑
𝑥 = 10 log (𝑑 )
0

From the graph, two points are taken in a straight line. They are used to calculate the
gradient, m of the equation
𝑦 −𝑦 −2−(−46)
𝑚 = 𝑥2 −𝑥1 = 3.01−16.02 = −3.382
2 1

In this case 𝑚 = −𝑛, hence the path loss exponent 𝑛 = 3.

The MMSE estimated for the path loss exponent, n can be found by using the following
formula
𝑘

𝐽(𝑛) = ∑((𝑃𝑟 − 𝑃̂𝑟 ))2

𝑖=0

where,
𝑃𝑟 is the measured value; and
𝑃̂𝑟 is the estimated value.
𝐽(𝑛) is the sum of squared errors between measured and estimated value.
 𝑑𝐽(𝑁)
= 0  (2)(3214)𝑛 − 28928 = 0
𝑑𝑛
28928
𝑛= = 4.5
6428

𝐽(𝑛 = 4.5) = 3214(4.5)2 − 28928(4.5) + 66200 = 𝟏𝟏𝟎𝟕. 𝟓

d. Standard deviation, 
𝐽(𝑛) 1107.5
𝜎2 = = = 55.375
𝑁 20
 =7.44

6. DISCUSSION

a) Based on the path loss model you have just constructed, estimate the received power
at d = 180m.

When d = 180m, d0 = 0.5m, n = 4.5

Find Pr(d) by using equation (3).

𝑑
10 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = 10 𝑙𝑜𝑔 [𝑃𝑟 (𝑑0 )] 𝑑𝐵𝑚 − 10𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑔 (𝑑 )
0

180
10 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = −25.6 𝑑𝐵𝑚 − 10(4.5) 𝑙𝑜𝑔 ( 0.5 )

10 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑃𝑟 (𝑑) 𝑑𝐵𝑚 = −140.63 𝑑𝐵𝑚

𝐏𝐫(𝒅) = 𝟖. 𝟔𝟓 𝑿 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒔

b) Evaluate the possibility of reducing  by using a greater number of measurements.

A measurement of result should be accurate and precise with measurements all close to
the known value. The accuracy and precision of a measurement process is usually
established by repeatedly measuring some visible reference standard. This applies when
the measurements are repeated and averaged. For instance, taking the data of the
received signal power with several distances from the access point to the mobile phone.
In this situation, the applied standard deviation term, the precision of the average is
equal to the known standard deviation of the process divided by the square root of the
number of measurement averaged. The standard deviation error is reduced as the
number of measurements grows bigger. This reflects the greatest confidence which
have in the mean value as being used in the greater number of measurement.

7. CONCLUSION

Throughout this experiment, the power received, Pr(d) can be measured by using a wifi
Analyzer. It has the feature of measuring the signal power calculated in dBm. Normally,
the router which acts as the base station have no drawback because it provides a stable
connection and strong signal. It is discovered that the measured received power signal
appeared to be having a small difference between points of measurement. At the first
earlier points measured, the signal ranges from -25.6 dBm until -47.4 dBm and
significantly increases at the final points ranging from -58.4 dBm to -71.6 dBm. To
reduce the error in reading when taking the measurement, the measurement is recorded
at least after 10 seconds at each points and getting 5 different reading to find the average.
Last but not least, the outcome from this experiment, it is found that the path loss
increases as the distance increases.