An Adapted Indoor Propagation Model for Colonial Buildings

In Latin America, there is a large number of colonial buildings that, given their great historical and cultural value, are preserved and used for the development of different activities that demand wireless communication network services. The internal structure of these buildings consists basically of rammed earth walls or mud-bricks, locally named “tapia” and adobe respectively. Most popular propagation models are based on measurements developed in modern structures and materials, for this reason, it is necessary to establish a propagation model that allows the correct design of wireless networks in colonial buildings. The main objective of this work is to propose an adaptation of a typical propagation model considering the characteristics of indoor environments for buildings of colonial architecture, defining loss coefficients based on empirical data obtained in a measurement campaign for the 2.4 GHz band. The adaptation mechanism applied is the method of least squares. A comparison with the Log-distance, One Slope, Motley-Keenan, ITU model and the measured data is given. The measurement campaign is developed in three scenarios, where a specific measurement methodology and various types of obstacles are considered. Then, the proposed model is validated with a low average error in two control scenarios and therefore it could be applied in this type of buildings.