Communications network for underground mines based on the IEEE 802.11 and DOCSIS standards

Wireless local area networks under the 802.11 standard offer a practical and interesting connectivity solution that features mobility, flexibility and reduction in deployment and usage costs. These networks have been tested in both indoor and outdoor environments, but little is known about their performance in confined environments such as underground mines. Measurements in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands have been performed at the CANMET laboratory mine located in Val-d'Or, Quebec. The analysis of these measurements led to the conclusion that it is possible to adapt the 802.11 standard to underground communications. In this paper, we propose a wireless network based on the 802.11 standard combined with the DOCSIS data over cable standard as a backbone. We have also developed a methodology for wireless network deployment in underground mines.