1. RF Fundamentals
Lecture 3

2. Objectives Describe RF loss and gain, and how it can be measured
List some of the characteristics of RF antenna transmissions
Describe the different types of antennas

3. RF Components

4. Units

5. Free space path loss calculation

6. Units

7. RF Measurement: RF Math
RF power measured by two units on two scales:
Linear scale:
Using milliwatts (mW)
Reference point is zero
Does not reveal gain or loss in relation to whole
Relative scale:
Reference point is the measurement itself
Often use logarithms
Measured in decibels (dB)
10’s and 3’s Rules of RF Math: Basic rule of thumb in dealing with RF power gain and loss

8. Understanding DBs

9. RF Measurement: RF Math (continued)
Table 3-3: The 10’s and 3’s Rules of RF Math

10. RF Measurement: RF Math (continued)
dBm: Reference point that relates decibel scale to milliwatt scale
Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP): Power radiated out of antenna of a wireless system
Includes intended power output and antenna gain
Uses isotropic decibels (dBi) for units
Reference point is theoretical antenna with 100 percent efficiency

11. Understanding Dbms

12. RF Measurement: WLAN Measurements
In U.S., FCC defines power limitations for WLANs
Limit distance that WLAN can transmit
Transmitter Power Output (TPO): Measure of power being delivered to transmitting antenna
Receive Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI): Used to determine dBm, mW, signal strength percentage
Table 3-4: IEEE b and g EIRP

13. Understanding Dbs and mWs

14. Dbms and mW

15. RSSI and SNR

16. EIR

17. Rules 10 and 3s

18. Rules 10s and 3s

19. Rules of 10s and 3s

20. Example

21. Example

22. Example

23. Example

24. Example 2

25. Example 2

26. Example 2

27. Example 2

28. Antenna Concepts Radio waves transmitted/received using antennas
Figure 3-24: Antennas are required for sending and receiving radio signals

29. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions
Polarization: Orientation of radio waves as they leave the antenna
Figure 3-25: Vertical polarization

30. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions (continued)
Wave propagation: Pattern of wave dispersal
Figure 3-26: Sky wave propagation

31. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions (continued)
Figure 3-27: RF LOS propagation

32. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions (continued)
Because RF LOS propagation requires alignment of sending and receiving antennas, ground-level objects can obstruct signals
Can cause refraction or diffraction
Multipath distortion: Refracted or diffracted signals reach receiving antenna later than signals that do not encounter obstructions
Antenna diversity: Uses multiple antennas, inputs, and receivers to overcome multipath distortion

33. RF line of sight

34. RF Line of sight

35. Line of sight

36. Line of sight

37. Line of sight

38. Fresnel Zone

39. Fresnel Zone

40. Fresnel Zone

41. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions (continued)
Determining extent of “late” multipath signals can be done by calculating Fresnel zone
Figure 3-28: Fresnel zone

42. Fresnel zone

43. Terrain effects on RF

44. Weather effects on RF

45. Rain effects in RF

46. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions (continued)
As RF signal propagates, it spreads out
Free space path loss: Greatest source of power loss in a wireless system
Antenna gain: Only way for an increase in amplification by antenna
Alter physical shape of antenna
Beamwidth: Measure of focusing of radiation emitted by antenna
Measured in horizontal and vertical degrees

47. Characteristics of RF Antenna Transmissions (continued)
Table 3-5: Free space path loss for IEEE b and g WLANs

48. Antenna Types and Their Installations
Two fundamental characteristics of antennas:
As frequency gets higher, wavelength gets smaller
Size of antenna smaller
High-gain antennas offer larger coverage areas than low-gain antennas at same input power level
Omni-directional antenna: Radiates signal in all directions equally
Most common type of antenna

49. Antenna Types and Their Installations (continued)
Semi-directional antenna: Focuses energy in one direction
Primarily used for short and medium range remote wireless bridge networks
Highly-directional antennas: Send narrowly focused signal beam
Generally concave dish-shaped devices
Used for long distance, point-to-point wireless links

50. Antenna Types and Their Installations (continued)
Figure 3-29: Omni-directional antenna

51. Antenna Types and Their Installations (continued)
Figure 3-30: Semi-directional antenna

52. WLAN Antenna Locations and Installation
Because WLAN systems use omni-directional antennas to provide broadest area of coverage, APs should be located near middle of coverage area
Antenna should be positioned as high as possible
If high-gain omni-directional antenna used, must determine that users located below antenna area still have reception

53. Summary
A type of electromagnetic wave that travels through space is called a radiotelephony wave or radio wave
An analog signal is a continuous signal with no breaks in it
A digital signal consists of data that is discrete or separate, as opposed to continuous
The carrier signal sent by radio transmissions is simply a continuous electrical signal and the signal itself carries no information

54. Summary (continued)
Three types of modulations or changes to the signal can be made to enable it to carry information: signal height, signal frequency, or the relative starting point
Gain is defined as a positive difference in amplitude between two signals
Loss, or attenuation, is a negative difference in amplitude between signals
RF power can be measured by two different units on two different scales

55. Summary (continued)
An antenna is a copper wire or similar device that has one end in the air and the other end connected to the ground or a grounded device
There are a variety of characteristics of RF antenna transmissions that play a role in properly designing and setting up a WLAN

56. Lab 2
LAB A