End-to-End Network Simulation Using a Site-Specific Radio Wave Propagation Model

Abstract

The performance of systems that rely on a wireless network depends on the propagation environment in which that network operates. To predict how these systems and their supporting networks will perform, simulations must take into consideration the propagation environment and how this effects the performance of the wireless network. Network simulators typically use empirical models of the propagation environment. However, these models are not intended for, and cannot be used, to predict a wireless system will perform in a specific location, e.g., in the center of a particular city or the interior of a specific manufacturing facility. In this paper, we demonstrate how a site-specific propagation model and the NS3 simulator can be used to predict the end-to-end performance of a wireless network.