Waves on the Walls: Empirical Characterization of mmWave Lateral Waves for Enhanced Indoor Coverage

2026-09-03

AI Summary

研究通过实验表征毫米波沿墙面的侧向传播，提出利用侧向波扩展室内覆盖的新方法，建立频率和距离相关的路径损耗模型。

Abstract

High-frequency millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication systems are constrained by the surrounding environment, where walls are traditionally treated as obstacles that block or reflect signals indoors. Consequently, current beamforming strategies are tailored to circumvent these obstructions. In this paper, a paradigm shift is introduced that leverages lateral wave propagation along building interfaces to extend mmWave coverage. Unlike traditional reflections, lateral waves travel along the boundary between two media of different refractive indices and decay algebraically with distance, offering a potential alternative path for mmWave connectivity. While well-established at low frequencies in natural media, the existence of lateral waves at mmWave frequencies along engineered building materials has not been demonstrated before. To this end, the first experimental characterization of mmWave lateral waves along a wall is reported. Extensive controlled measurements are employed to characterize the signal-grazing geometry and to establish a frequency and distance-dependent path-loss model for this phenomenon. The results provide the first empirical foundation for a new class of interface-guided mmWave links.

Problem

• mmWave
• lateral waves
• indoor coverage
• beamforming

Innovation

• lateral waves
• millimeter-wave communication
• indoor coverage
• path-loss model
• interface-guided links