USRP-Based Multifrequency Multiscenario Channel Measurements and Modeling for 5G Campus Internet of Things

Fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication technologies play a crucial role in supporting the pervasive implementation of the Campus Internet of Things (IoT). The application of 5G wireless communication in Campus IoT will introduce unique channel characteristics that need to be fully explored through channel measurement and channel modeling in various campus scenarios. In this article, a channel sounding system based on the universal software-defined radio peripheral (USRP) is designed, which can efficiently collect channel measuring data in diverse settings. Based on this system, channel measurements with omnidirectional and directional antennas at the 4.9, 5.2, and 5.8-GHz bands for multicase are conducted. The measurement cases include the path loss (PL) measurements for both outdoor and indoor scenarios, the penetration loss measurements for indoor and outdoor materials, the outdoor to indoor (O2I) measurements, and the blockage effect measurements. The channel characteristics, involving PL, shadow fading, penetration loss, and blockage effect, are extracted and analyzed. The PL models, penetration loss models, O2I PL models, and models for blockage effects at measured frequency bands are proposed to predict and validate channel characteristics. The channel measurement and modeling results not only demonstrate the practicality of the proposed sounding system but also provide realistic channel characteristics for the research on 5G wireless communication systems in Campus IoT scenarios.