Link Budget

Calculation
Marco Zennaro and Carlo Fonda
the Abdus Salam International
Centre for Theoretical Physics
mzennaro@ictp.it

Link Planning
How far can we go?
How much power can we use?
What kind of antennas should be use?
Are all the cables the same?

dB math
decibels are a relative measurement unit unlike the absolute
measurement of milliwatts
the decibel (dB) is an expression of the relationship between a
variable quantity and a known reference quantity
the calculation of decibels uses a logarithm to allow very large or
very small relations to be represented with a conveniently small
number
on the logarithmic scale, the reference cannot be zero because
the log of zero does not exist!

dB math
the reference point that relates the logarithmic
dB scale to the linear watt scale is:

1 mW = 0 dBm
the m in dBm refers to the fact that the
reference is 1 mW and therefore a dBm
measurement is a measurement of absolute
power

dB math
to convert mW to dBm:
P(dBm)= 10 log P(mW)
to convert dBm to mW:
P(mW)= log-1 (P(dBm)/10)
gains and losses are ADDITIVE

dB math
gain or loss in an RF system may be referred to by
absolute power measurement (10W of power) or by
a relative power measurement (half of its power)
-3dB = half the power in mW
+3dB = double the power in mW
-10dB = one tenth the power in mW
+10dB = ten times the power in mW

dB math

10 mW + 3 dB = 20 mW
100 mW - 3dB = 50 mW
10 mW + 10 dB = 100 mW
300 mW - 10 dB = 30 mW

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dB math
+43 dBm
43dB = 10dB + 10dB + 10dB + 10dB + 3dB
1 mW x 10 = 100 mW
100 mW x 10 = 1000 mW
1000 mW x 10 = 10000 mW
10000 mW x 2 = 20000 mW = 20 W

dB math
-26 dBm
-26dB = - 10dB - 10dB - 3dB - 3dB
1 mW / 10 = 100 uW
100 uW / 10 = 10 uW
10 uW / 2 = 5 uW
5 uW / 2 = 2.5 uW

dB math
when quantifying the gain of an antenna, the
decibel units are represented by dBi
the i stands for isotropic, which means that the
change in power is referenced against an isotropic
radiator
an isotropic radiator is a theoretical ideal
transmitter that produces an e.m. field in all
directions with equal intensity at a 100% efficiency

antenna gain
an antenna element is a passive device
the antenna can create the effect of
amplification by virtue of its physical shape

by intentional radiator we mean the RF device

and all cabling and connectors up to, but not
including, the antenna

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intentional radiator
any reference to power output of the
Intentional Radiator refers to the power
output at the end of the last cable or connector
before the antenna
if a 30 mW transmitter loses 15 mW of power in
the cables and another 5 mW from the
connectors, the power of the intentional
radiator is 10 mW

intentional radiator
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EIRP
the EIRP is the Equivalent Isotropically Radiated
Power
EIRP is the power actually radiated by the antenna
element and is important because
it is regulated by the FCC or other regulatory
agency
it is used in calculating whether or not a wireless
link is viable

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EIRP
suppose a transmitting station uses a 10 dBi antenna
(which amplifies the signal 10 times) and is fed by 100
mW from the intentional radiator
the EIRP is 1000 mW or 1 W
the FCC has rules defining both the power output at
the intentional radiator and the antenna element

EIRP
the FCC enforces certain rules regarding the
power radiated by the antenna element,
depending on whether the implementation is
point-to-multipoint or point-to-point
PtMP links are typically configured in a star
topology
when an omnidirectional antenna is used, the
FCC automatically considers the link a PtMP
link

PtMP
in the setup of a PtMP link, the FCC limits
the EIRP to 4 Watts
the power limit set for the intentional
radiator is 1 Watt
is the transmitting LAN devices are
adjustable with respect to their output
power, then the system can customized to
the needs of the user

PtMP
suppose a radio transmitting at 1 Watt(+30 dBm)
is connected directly to a 12 dBi omnidirectional
antenna
the total output power at the antenna is about 16
Watts, which is well above the 4 Watts limit
the FCC stipulates that for each 3dBi above the
antennas initial 6dBi of gain, the power of the
intentional radiator must be reduced by 3dB below
the initial +30dBm

PtMP
for our example, since the antenna gain is 12dBi,
the power of the intentional radiator must be
reduced by 6dB
this reduction will result in an intentional radiator
power of 24 dBm, or 36 dM of EIRP which is 4
Watts
the end result is that the power at the intentional
radiator must never be more than 1 Watt, and the
EIRP must never be above 4 Watts for a PtMP
connection

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PtP
Ptp links include a single directional transmitting
antenna and a single directional receiving antenna
the FCC mandates that for every 3 dBi above the
initial 6 dBi of antenna gain, the power at the
intentional radiator must be reduced by 1 dB from
the initial +30 dBm
consider the previous example: 1W (+30 dBm) at
the intentional radiator and a 12 dBi antenna
(directional antenna in this case)

PtP
the total output power is still 16 Watts
since the antenna gain is 12 dBi, the power at the
intentional radiator must be reduced by 2 dB
this reduction will result in an intentional radiator
power of 28 dBm (30-2), and an EIRP of 40 dBm or
10 Watts
in the case of PtP links, the power of the
intentional radiator is still limited to 1 Watt, but
the limit of the EIRP increases with the gain of
the antenna

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Fresnel zone
the Fresnel Zone occupies a series of concentric
ellipsoid-shaped areas around the Line-of-Sight path
the Fresnel Zone is important to the integrity of the RF
link because it defines an area around the LOS that can
introduce RF signal interference if blocked
objects in the Fresnel Zone as trees, hilltops and
buildings can diffract or reflect the main signal away
from the receiver

Fresnel zone

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Fresnel zone
the radius of the Fresnel Zone at its widest point
can be calculated as
r=72.6 x sqrt(d/4f)
where d is the link distance in miles, f is the
frequency in GHz and the answer r is in feet
r=17.32 x sqrt(d/4f)
where d is the link distance in km, f is the
frequency in GHz and the answer r is in meters

Fresnel zone
considering the importance of the Fresnel Zone, it is
important to quantify the degree to which it can be
blocked
typically, 20%-40% Fresnel Zone blockage
introduces little to no interference into the link
it is better to err to the conservative side allowing
no more than 20% blockage of the Fresnel Zone
http://www.terabeam.com/support/calculations/
fresnel-zone.php

Propagation Basics
Signal power is diminished by geometric spreading
of the wavefront, commonly known as Free Space
Loss

1.

Signal power is attenuated as the wave passes

through solid objects as trees, walls, windows and
floors of buildings

2.

The signal is scattered and can interfere if there

are objects in the beam of the transmit antenna
even if these objects are not in the direct path
between the transmitter and the receiver

3.

Free Space Loss

geometric spreading happens because the wavefront
radiated signal energy expands as a function of the
distance from the transmitter
using decibels to express the loss and using 2.45 GHz
as the signal frequency, the equation for the Free
Space Loss is

Lfsl = 40 + 20*log(r)
where Lfsl is expressed in dB and r in meters

Attenuation
when the RF signal passes through solid objects,
some of the signal power is absorbed
the most convenient way to express this is by
adding an allowed loss to the Free Space
attenuation can vary greatly depending upon the
structure of the object the signal is passing
through
metal in the barrier greatly increases the
attenuation

Attenuation
trees account to 10 to 20 dB of loss per tree in the
direct path. Loss depends upon the size and the type
of tree
walls account to 10 to 15 dB depending upon the
construction
floors of buildings account 12 to 27 dB of loss. Floors
with concrete and steel are a the high end and wood
floors at the low end
mirrored walls have very high loss because the
reflective coating is conductive

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Scattering

RF signals can reflect off of many things and the

direct signal combines with signals that have
reflected off of objects that are not in the direct path
this effect is usually described as multipath, fading
or signal dispersion
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Scattering
the distortion degrades the ability of the receiver to
recover the signal in a manner much like signal loss
multipath can cause several different conditions, all
of which can affect the transmission of the RF signal
differently

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Scattering
antenna diversity was devised for the purpose of
compensating the multipath
antenna diversity means using multiple antennas in
order to compensate the conditions that cause
multipath
antenna switching diversity: multiple antennas on
multiple inputs, with a single receiver. The signal is
received through only one antenna at a time
transmission diversity: transmits out of the antenna
last used for reception. Can alternate antennas for
retries

Scattering
a simple way of applying the effects of scattering is
to change the exponent on the distance factor of
the Free Space Loss formula like this:

L(dB) = 40 + 10 * n * log(r)
the exponent tends to increase with the range in an
environment with a lot of scattering
calculating a range can often require some iteration
of the exponent to be used

Total Loss
when Free Space Loss, Attenuator and Scattering are
combined, the loss is

L(dB) = 40 +10*n*log(r) + L(allowed)

Link Margin
the performance of any communication link depends
on the quality of the equipment being used
link margin is a way of quantifying equipment
performance
an 802.11 link has an available link margin that is
determined by four factors

Link Margin
Transmit Power
Transmit Antenna Gain
Receive Antenna Gain
Minimum Received Signal Strength or Level
the link margin is

TX(power)+TX(ant gain)+RX(ant gain)-RSL

Link Margin
the link factors are usually listed in the
manufacturers data sheets for the equipment
being used
note that the minimum RSL is dependent upon
rate and the 1 Mbps rate is used for maximum
range
TX power can also be rate dependent but
manufacturers rarely indicate this

Maximum Range
the maximum range is achieved when the signal
loss is less than the link margin
we must know the equipment parameters and must
estimate the allowed loss and the scattering
exponent to complete the calculation
the equipment parameters can be found on the data
sheets

maximum range. TX power can also be rate dependent but manufacturers rarely
indicate this.
Maximum range. The maximum range is achieved when the signal loss expressed in
Equation 4 is less than the link margin expressed in Equation 5. The system operator
needs to know the equipment parameters and must estimate the allowed loss and the
scattering exponent to complete the calculation. Example parameters are shown in
Tables 1 and 2.

Maximum Range

Table 1. Application Dependent Environment Parameters

Allowed Loss
Scattering
Application
(dB)
Exponent
Outdoor free space
0
2
2.5 at 200m
3 at 400m
Outdoor, no barriers
0
3.5 > 500m
Outdoor with trees
10 to 20
3 to 4
Outdoor buildings
0
4
Indoor - no barriers
0
2.5
Indoor partitions
0
3.5
12 to 27 (floors)
Indoor walls & floors
10 to 15 (walls)
4 to 5

! 2004 Sputnik, Inc. All rights reserved.

Example

Marina
Park
Urban caf
Conference room
Office cubicles
Condo,
apartment

Example 1
suppose a university wants to setup a point-to-multipoint
link

Example 1
Access Point:
TX Power: 13 dBm
TX Antenna Gain: 8.5 dBi
PC Cards:
RX Antenna Gain: 0 dBi
RX Sensitivity: -89 dBm

Example 1
the link margin is
TX(power)+TX(ant gain)+RX(ant gain)-RSL
13+8.5+0-(-89)= 110.5 dB

Example 1
we can estimate the allowed loss to be 10 dB if
the park had a modest number of trees mixed with
open spaces and use a scattering exponent of 3
to get the maximum range we would solve
110.5=40+10*3*log(rmax)+10
rmax=102 meters

Example 1
using the same equation to calculate the range
assuming free space loss only (exponent=2, and
allowed loss=0)
110.5=40+10*2*log(rmax)+0
rmax=3264 meters
this example shows that environmental factors
can play a significant role in diminishing the
signal strength