System simulation of a localization system based on power level detection with distributed antennas

Estimation of the transmitter position based on the received signal strength (RSS) appears to be an attractive approach for indoor applications. However, strong power level fluctuations within buildings decrease the accuracy and reliability considerably. In this paper we present an extensive study based on simulations by applying a distributed antenna system for localization purposes in indoor scenarios. The basic idea is to use power level detection determined from two access points attached to the cable heads of the system. This positioning approach has the advantage that only marginal additional hardware is required to implement the localization functionality. For planning purposes a complete system simulation tool has been developed to analyze the impact of different environments on the positioning accuracy. The simulation results were verified with measurements carried out with a developed antenna prototype.