Demo: A Transparent Antenna System for In-Building Networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a transparent antenna system integrated into building windows for in-building networks, analyzing interference, signal quality, and feasibility through simulations and real-world testing.

Contribution

It presents a novel transparent window antenna design and evaluates its performance and interference characteristics in in-building network environments.

Findings

Interference from back lobe waves affects indoor network performance.

Simulation results show varying SIR and SINR based on repeater location.

Feasibility confirmed through a full-duplex SDR platform with fabricated antenna.

Abstract

For in-building networks, the potential of transparent antennas, which are used as windows of a building, is presented in this paper. In this scenario, a transparent window antenna communicates with outdoor devices or base stations, and the indoor repeaters act as relay stations of the transparent window antenna for indoor devices. At indoor, back lobe waves of the transparent window antenna are defined as interference to in-building networks. Hence, we analyze different SIR and SINR results according to the location of an indoor repeater through 3D ray tracing system-level simulation. Furthermore, a link-level simulation through a full-duplex software-defined radio platform with the fabricated transparent antenna is presented to examine the feasibility of the transparent antenna.