Evaluating the Performance of Wireless Communication Technologies Under Various Atmospheric Attenuations

Abstract

Wireless communications are fast evolving to suit the increasing demand for multimedia services in a variety of deployment situations, including WPANs, sensor networks, WLANs, and satellite systems. In order to handle attenuation, noise, interference, and multipath effects and maintain the dependability and effectiveness of wireless networks, this evolution calls for strong models and mitigation techniques. Propagation loss and attenuation have a substantial impact on wireless communication by diminishing signal strength over distance and under varied environmental circumstances, demanding appropriate mitigation measures to ensure reliable network performance and coverage. It is essential to comprehend these phenomena in order to improve wireless communication systems’ resilience and optimize signal propagation. This research enhances the simulation accuracy of wireless communication technologies such as WiFi, WiMAX, mmWave, and THz under varying atmospheric conditions by incorporating ITU-R standards P.676-13, P.833-10, and P.840-9 into the NS-3 network simulator. The current models in NS-3 fail to sufficiently capture atmospheric attenuations such as gases, vegetation, clouds, and fog, which can significantly impair communication performance, especially in critical applications. To address this, the proposed solution involves a detailed integration of the specified ITU-R standards into NS-3, enabling precise simulations of atmospheric effects on wireless communications. The study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of how atmospheric conditions affect the performance of various wireless technologies by simulating real-world scenarios that reflect the unique climatic conditions of Pakistan, potentially applicable globally. Objectives include accurately implementing ITU-R recommendations in NS- 3 to simulate atmospheric attenuations; conducting extensive simulations to assess key performance indicators like signal strength, specific attenuation, and RSSI; identifying performance thresholds where atmospheric conditions begin to significantly degrade communication. With implications for network architecture and technology deployment, the study offers insights into network resilience and suggests adaptive ways to optimize wireless communication systems for a variety of environmental circumstances.