Analysis of the 5G Signal Strength Loss in Indoor Environments

Advances in wireless connectivity technologies and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices are simplifying the realization of the concept known as Industry 4.0. In the industrial context, wireless networks demonstrate greater suitability, mainly due to the considerable flexibility they provide, their lower cost of implementation, and their non-intrusive nature. Despite the emergence and updating of new wireless protocols, transformations in established industries often entail substantial expense. The 5G technology helps in this sense, allowing communication with a massive capacity of connections for IoT devices, higher reliability, and faster transmissions. To design and deploy networks that support applications, it is interesting to know the behavior of the 5G signal throughout the environment, considering different obstructions. In this paper, we evaluate the 5G signal strength inside a building (university laboratory). For this, we collected signal strength measurements throughout different places in the building, considering distance and walls (obstructions). We aim to compare these values with the estimated by the Log-Distance Path Loss (LDPL) model. Our initial analysis demonstrates that the LDPL model can probably assess effectively indoor 5G signal strength. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing 5G network deployments in indoor environments.