The fading characteristics of distributed antennas for indoor wireless systems

Distributed antennas have been suggested as a possible method for providing reliable coverage for indoor wireless communications. One aspect of the distributed antenna system however has not been well investigated. This concerns possible interference effects (resulting in fading) between antennas within the distributed antenna. In this paper we analyze and simulate the potential effects of this fading to exactly determine whether it will play a significant role in the coverage provided by distributed antennas. We also compare our simulations to actual measurement results in the mobile telephone bands. Particular design criteria are then suggested.