MECHANISMS GOVERNING PROPAGATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT FLOORS IN BUILDINGS

The potential implementation of wireless radio local area networks and personal communication services inside buildings requires a thorough understanding of signal propagation within buildings. In this paper we develop a theory which explains propagation between a transmitter and a receiver located on different floors of a building. Depending on the structure of the building and the location Of the antennas, either direct ray propagation through floors or diffraction outside the building will determine the propagation characteristic and range dependence of the signal sector average as the number of floors between the transmitter and the receiver is increased.