Wireless Designer GUI Application

Introduction

Planning tools are fundamentally based on the prediction of radio waves. They work by bringing together three distinct elements: the modeling of the environment in which the radio network is operating, the implementation of propagation models such as for example Okumura-Hata model, and the modeling of radio network elements for both the transmit and receive paths. All these elements are necessary to allow accurate prediction of radio propagation however the fundamental function is the ability to perform path predictions and coverage what is the aim of the project.

Graphical User Interface

As the volume and complexity of data and results continues to grow with the increasing complexity of data sources and algorithms, the need for intuitive representations of that data and results becomes increasingly critical. The graphical representation of the results is often the most effective means of conveying the points of the work which has provided the data. MATLAB continues to be one of the best applications available for providing both the computational capabilities of generating data and displaying it in a variety of graphical representations. Thats why author decided to use Matlab software to visualize his results through Graphical Interface

Wireless Designer GUI Application

User (GUI) presented in Figure 1, which provides simple and efficient management of the input and output data.

Figure 1. Graphical User Interface of Radio Network Design Application

In his chapter main functions of GUI and methodology of using it are described step by step. It is important to follow the guide to obtain most efficient results.

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

The Main Panel

The Menu button group (Figure 2) provides the main function to manage the application. It allowed user to upload the map from the file as a background for visualization of the planned network, clear the map off the coverage plots and close the application.

Figure 2 The Menu Group

Figure 3 Select the file window

After clicking Upload Map window for the file selection appear (Figure 3). User can choose map saved in *.jpg, *.jpeg, and *.bmp and approve it by Open button - map will appear in GUI (Figure 4).

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

Figure 1 The GUI with uploaded map

The System Parameters block contains group of edit areas to provide necessary input parameters for planned network (Figure 5) by typing follow parameters: Frequency [MHz] Transmitter Power [dBm] Transmitter Gain [dBi] Receiver Gain [dBi] System Loss [dB] - (feeder etc.) Transmitter Height [m] Receiver Height [m] Distance [km]

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

The System Parameters group

Propagation Model popup menu list

Figure 2 The System Parameters Group

The Okumura-Hata propagation model requires parameters as follow: frequency, transmitter and receiver heights and distance. Rest of the inputs is used for Free Space Loss calculations and Received Power. It contains also a Propagation Model popup menu list, from where user must choose one of environments from: Urban big city, Urban medium/small city, Suburban, and Rural. It is essential for correct simulation to choose right environment in which coverage prediction will be made.

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

The Workable Panel

The workable panel (Figure 6) contains three groups: Run, Graphs, and Antenna Design. They are responsible for execution of main activities, and plots.

Run group

Graphs group

Antenna Design group

Figure 3 The Workable Panel

Run group contain is divided into 2 buttons:

Transmitter Placement - executes function responsible for dimensioning. By clicking it user have possibility to select one transmitter position on the map. Program save x and y axes positions for further calculations and visualizations. Important: only one transmitter can be placed by one click. Next step is to click Predict Coverage button.

Predict Coverage is a calculating function, where Okumura-Hata formula has been executed, and correction factors are taking into account (depends of the frequency and/or environment). After computing input data this simulation tries to reproduce a coverage map for one BST with average received power marked by colors from red (the strongest) up to dark blue (the weakest). The process of placing transmitter user can -6-

Wireless Designer GUI Application

repeat up to ten times, which means that ten different transmitters can be placed visualizing range of network as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 4 The GUI with coverage one transmitter using Okumura-Hata prediction model

There is another function which executes Predict Coverage button. When user do not upload map from the file and do not place transmitters and click button, the average received power using Okumura-Hata model will appear as show Figure 8.

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

Figure 5 The average received power using Okumura-Hata model presented by Matlab application

This function helps to visualize changes of average received power using Okumura-Hata model depends on transmitter configuration and environment.

Graphs Group contain two buttons for generating plots shown in Figures 2.4, 3.1 and 3.2. This graphs visualize Okumura-Hata models for different environments, Free Space Loss model and Received Power depends on distance.

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

Antenna Design Group is a simple designing tool for antenna pattern and visualize plot of the array factor in vertical plane, shown in Figure 9.

Figure 6 Vertical plane of the array factor with element number=2 and element spacing=0.5 presented by Matlab application

This function may be useful for further work, when it can be combined with cell planning for specific antenna pattern. In this project it takes place as an additional function.

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Wireless Designer GUI Application

The Results Panel

In this panel the calculation results appear for Okumura-Hata, Free Space Propagation path loss and received power. The panel is presented in Figure 10.

The Free Space Path Loss [dB] and Received Power [dBm] group

The Okumura-Hata Path Loss [dB] for big, small /medium city, suburban and rural areas

Figure 7 The Results Panel

The results for Okumura-Hata model are taking into account correction factors for different areas and frequency range extension for urban area using COST231 model.

2008 All rights reserved.

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