IEEE VT-S Propagation Committee
Survey of Planning Tools for Indoor Wireless Systems
Indoor RF planning tools play a central role in the deployment of wireless systems from initial design and roll-out to densification and optimization. Such tools typically combine a Geographic Information System used to manage building plans, a Database Management System used to manage base station location and configuration, RF coverage and traffic models used to predict signal strength and interference levels throughout the service area and optimization tools used to determine the best frequency and code assignments and base station locations.
This survey of planning tools for Indoor Wireless Networks is offered as a service to the wireless community by the IEEE VT-S Propagation Committee. If you have comments, suggestions, corrections, or contributions, please contact Prof. Dave Michelson at: dmichelson@ieee.org
 NPS/i (Nokia and VTT Technology) NPS/i is a software tool for indoor radio network planning in cellular systems. The main purpose of NPS/i is to assist network planners in their work of designing cellular coverage inside buildings. Another group of potential users is researchers who are developing propagation models and want to test these models with propagation measurements. |
 WinProp (AWE) WinProp's unique CNP (Combined Network Planning) features makes it well-suited for use in macro-, mini-, micro- and picocell network planning. It features terrain (macrocell) predictions using the parabolic equation method, predictions for urban cells, indoor receivers in mobile communication networks (penetration of buildings), indoor wireless networks, and planning of wireless LAN's (WLAN). Features include prediction of field strength / received power, prediction of delay spread, and prediction of fast fading. |
 SitePlanner (Wireless Valley Communications) SitePlanner is a fully integrated design, measurement, optimization, and management engineering tool for in-building, campus-wide, and microcell wireless communications systems. The tool suite includes the Predictor, InFielder, and Optimatic modules that work seamlessly for all phases of deployment, maintenance, and optimization of a local wireless system. |
 Volcano (Siradel) Volcano (see above) also has important indoor capabilities, for both 2D and 3D (multi-floor) cases, which are intensively used within many research projects and WLANs deployments. |
 WiSE (Lucent Technologies) WiSE is a system for designing indoor and microcell ("campus'') wireless systems. Given building data (wall locations and composition), system parameters, and base-station locations, WiSE determines system performance (e.g., received power, delay spread) throughout the building or at specific points. Given parameters and system requirements (e.g., signal strength threshold), WiSE determines base-station locations to maximize the fraction of the building over which the performance requirement is met. A sophisticated graphical user interface allows interactive design and optimization. |
 CINDOOR (University of Cantebria, Spain) CINDOOR is an engineering tool for use in the design, planning, and effective implementation of wireless systems in general enclosed spaces. The method underlying CINDOOR is a flexible approach to the propagation process, allowing analysis of indoor and outdoor environments and the interaction between them. The method is based on a full three-dimensional implementation of GO/UTD. Ray tracing is efficiently carried out by combining Image Theory with Binary Space Partitioning algorithms. The space-time distribution of the electromagnetic field is processed to obtain a set of magnitudes that form a basis for planning a wireless system: coverage (mean power), fading statistics, power delay profile, and associated parameters, such as rms delay spread and the coherence bandwidth. |
 EDX Signal Pro (EDX Division of Comarco Wireless Technologies, Inc.) An Indoor/Microcell Module allows EDX SignalPro (tm) for Windows (R) 98/NT/2000 to be used as a planning tool for indoor wireless communication systems. |