PHY LayerL3

Channel Models

RF PHY Analysis

IEEE 802.11 TGn Channel Models A-F - IEEE 802.11-03/940r4 | RMS delay spread, K-factor, spatial correlation, environment6 rows#

Model	Environment	Max RMS Delay Spread (ns)	LOS/NLOS	K-factor (dB)	# Clusters	# Taps	Spatial Corr (Tx/Rx)	Doppler Spectrum	Intended Use Case
Model A	Flat fading (NLOS)	0 (single tap)	NLOS	-∞ (no LOS)	1	1	Low	Flat (Jakes)	Baseline flat-fading reference. No multipath. Used to test raw SNR performance.
Model B	Residential indoor (NLOS)	15 ns	NLOS	-∞	2	9	Low	Jakes	Typical home environment. Short delay spread. 2.4/5 GHz indoor residential.
Model C	Small office indoor (NLOS)	30 ns	NLOS	-∞	2	14	Low-Med	Jakes	Small office/cubicle. Standard Wi-Fi design reference environment.
Model D	Typical office indoor (NLOS/LOS)	50 ns	LOS present	3 dB LOS	3	18	Medium	Jakes + LOS spike	Large open-plan office. Has LOS component (K=3 dB Rician). Most common 5 GHz office scenario.
Model E	Large office (NLOS)	100 ns	NLOS	-∞	4	18	Medium-High	Jakes	Large conference room, warehouse. Higher delay spread. Tests OFDM guard interval adequacy.
Model F	Large open space (NLOS)	150 ns	NLOS	-∞	6	18	High	Jakes	Large factory, sports hall, atrium. Maximum delay spread for indoor 802.11n/ac design.

IEEE 802.11ax TGax Channel Models - IEEE 802.11-14/0882r4 | Extended for ax evaluation; dual-slope path loss4 rows#

Scenario	Environment	Path Loss Model	Shadow Fading σ	LOS Prob (%)	RMS Delay Spread	Correlation Distance	Freq Range	Key Difference from TGn	3GPP Equivalent
Residential	Home (indoor) 2.4/5/6 GHz	Dual-slope: PL1 = 40.05 + 20log(f/2.4) + 20log(d) d≤d'; PL2 = PL1(d') + 35log(d/d')	σ = 5 dB (LOS) σ = 8 dB (NLOS)	LOS: 100% (d<5m) NLOS: P=1-exp(-d/10)	30 ns LOS 40 ns NLOS	10 m	2.4-6 GHz	Dual-slope accounts for transition from near-field to far-field in rooms. TGn was single slope.	3GPP InH (Indoor Hotspot)
Enterprise	Office (indoor) 5/6 GHz	Dual-slope: same formula, d' = 10 m break point	σ = 3 dB (LOS) σ = 10 dB (NLOS)	LOS: exp(-d/7.5) NLOS: 1-P_LOS	30 ns LOS 50 ns NLOS	10 m	5-6 GHz	Higher NLOS shadow fading (10 dB) vs residential. Models cubicle partitions.	3GPP InH
Outdoor	Urban small cell 5/6 GHz outdoor	PL = 35.3log(d) + 22.4 + 21.3log(fc) - 0.3(hUT-1.5) (NLOS; UT height correction)	σ = 6 dB	LOS: min(18/d,1)(1-exp(-d/63)) + exp(-d/63)	100-300 ns (NLOS)	15 m	5-6 GHz	Adds height-correction term. Key for outdoor Wi-Fi (stadiums, outdoor campus).	3GPP UMi (Urban Micro)
Indoor-Outdoor	Hotspot with outdoor clients	Mixed LOS/NLOS; outdoor path + wall penetration loss (15-20 dB concrete)	σ = 7-12 dB	Depends on geometry	50-200 ns	20 m	5/6 GHz	Wall penetration loss added on top of outdoor PL model.	3GPP InH-mixed

Log-Distance Path Loss Model - ITU-R P.1238-10, IEEE 802.11-2020 Annex E | PL(d) = PL(d₀) + 10n·log(d/d₀) + Xσ10 rows#

Environment	Freq Band	Path Loss Exponent n	Shadow Fading σ (dB)	Reference PL @ d₀=1m (dB)	d₀ (m)	Breakpoint Distance (m)	Notes	-	-
Free Space	Any	2.0	0	20log(4π/λ) = 40.0 @ 2.4 GHz 46.4 @ 5 GHz 47.7 @ 6 GHz	1	∞	Theoretical. Used as reference only.	-	-
Open Area (LOS outdoor)	2.4 GHz	2.0-2.2	4	40.0	1	d_BP = 4h_Th_R/λ ≈ 80-200 m	Near-free-space. Low clutter.	-	-
Residential indoor	2.4 GHz	2.8	8-10	40.0	1	-	Drywall, wood floors. Standard home.	-	-
Residential indoor	5 GHz	3.0	8	46.4	1	-	Slightly higher exponent at 5 GHz due to material losses.	-	-
Office (LOS corridor)	2.4 GHz	1.8	3	40.0	1	-	Waveguide effect in corridors: n<2.	-	-
Office (NLOS cubicle)	2.4 GHz	3.4	9	40.0	1	-	Standard enterprise design value.	-	-
Office (NLOS cubicle)	5 GHz	3.6	10	46.4	1	-	5 GHz penetrates office partitions less well than 2.4 GHz.	-	-
Office (NLOS)	6 GHz	3.7-4.0	12	47.7	1	-	6 GHz: highest attenuation per meter. More APs needed.	-	-
Large open space	2.4 GHz	2.2	6	40.0	1	-	Warehouse, factory floor (LOS-dominant).	-	-
Industrial (NLOS)	2.4 GHz	3.8-4.5	15	40.0	1	-	Metal shelving, machinery = high loss and multi-path.	-	-

Wall & Floor Attenuation Factors - ITU-R P.1238-10 Table 1 | Values at 2.4 GHz unless noted13 rows#

Material	2.4 GHz (dB)	5 GHz (dB)	6 GHz (dB)	60 GHz (dB)	Thickness (typ)	Notes	-	-	-
Drywall / Plasterboard	3	4	5	Very high	10 cm	Most common office partition. Low loss.	-	-	-
Wood door / partition	4	5	6	High	5 cm	Similar to drywall.	-	-	-
Brick wall	6-8	8-12	10-15	Near opaque	10-20 cm	Common exterior wall. Significant loss at 5 GHz.	-	-	-
Concrete wall (20 cm)	12-15	15-20	18-24	Near opaque	20 cm	Structural walls. Major coverage barrier.	-	-	-
Reinforced concrete	15-20	20-25	25-30	Near opaque	30 cm	Underground parking, bunkers.	-	-	-
Glass (standard)	2-3	3-4	4-5	High	6 mm	Low-E glass can be much higher (10-20 dB at 5 GHz).	-	-	-
Low-E (thermal) glass	8-15	12-20	15-25	Near opaque	6 mm	Metal coating = near-Faraday cage for 5/6 GHz. Major 802.11 design issue.	-	-	-
Metal door	25+	30+	35+	Near opaque	2 mm	Essentially a barrier. Avoid AP placement blocked by metal doors.	-	-	-
Floor (concrete slab)	12-15	15-20	18-24	N/A	20 cm	Floor Attenuation Factor (FAF) per floor level below.	-	-	-
Floor 1 (1 storey up/down)	13 dB FAF	15 dB	18 dB	N/A	-	ITU-R P.1238 Table 2: +13 dB per floor (2.4 GHz).	-	-	-
Floor 2 (2 storeys)	18 dB FAF	20 dB	22 dB	N/A	-	FAF increases non-linearly: 18 dB for 2 floors.	-	-	-
Floor 3+ (3+ storeys)	24 dB FAF	26 dB	28 dB	N/A	-	Plateaus at ~24 dB for ≥3 floors.	-	-	-
Human body	3-5	4-6	5-7	15-20	-	Human body blockage significant at 60 GHz (802.11ad).	-	-	-