Hybrid FDTD/waveguide theory for indoor hallway propagation modeling

In indoor wireless communications, the abundance of random scatterers creates a strong multi-path environment that severely complicates the signal strength distribution originating from a transmitting source. Current prediction schemes range from rough empirical estimations to computationally intensive numerical simulations. However, a better approach is to capitalize on the known properties of indoor environments to simplify the problem so it can be solved more efficiently. This paper will illustrate how hybridizing numerical finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and ray tracing techniques with an analytical waveguide model is an effective method for predicting field propagation within building hallways. The results will be supported by both FDTD simulation and actual measurement data.