Near-Ground Path Loss Measurements and Modeling for Wireless Sensor Networks at 2.4 GHz

Near-ground channel characterization is an important issue in most military applications of wireless sensor networks. However, the channel at the ground level lacks characterization. In this paper, we present a path loss model for three near-ground scenarios. The path loss values for each scenario were captured through extensive measurements, and then a least-square linear regression was performed. This indicates that the log-distance-based model is still suitable for path loss modeling in near-ground scenarios, and the prediction accuracy of the two-slope model is superior to that of the one-slope model. The validity of the proposed model was further verified by comparisons between the predicted and measured far-field path losses. Finally, compared to the generic models, the proposed model is more effective for the path loss prediction in near-ground scenarios.