Simulation based IEEE 802.11ad performance assessment in factory workshop

Abstract

The IEEE 802.11ad standard exploits the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, concretely the license-free frequency band in the 57-71 GHz range. Nowadays, this frequency band is mostly unused for use cases related to communication systems, and applications that require a throughput of several Gbit/s are proposed to fully exploit all the resources that are offered in this spectrum. Another option could be to exploit the advantages offered in the mmWave spectrum to increase the reliability and timing requirements of the networks, which are key aspects in industrial communications. However, this approach has not been tested yet due to the novelty of mmWave bands for communication systems, which is the main motivation behind this work. This paper performs an assessment of the expected performance of an IEEE 802.11ad managed industrial backhaul network using a simulation based approach. The simulation is split in two: an individual link is tested first under several conditions with a realistic channel model and the whole network is evaluated after, using the previously generated metrics to represent the links. The obtained results show that, even if 802.11ad does not provide a sufficient performance to cope with the most stringent use case, the standard has potential to operate in this kind of environment.