Simulation of Wi-Fi Coverage in a Large Airplane Cabin with the Dominant Path Model in Altair WinProp

This whitepaper covers two challenges commercial aircrafts have in providing reliable Wi-Fi connectivity to passengers – the reliability of connection between the aircraft and the provider, and reliable Wi-Fi coverage within the aircraft cabin.

In the early days, aircraft were using air-to-ground (ATG) that relies on connection between the aircraft and the towers on the ground. ATG connectivity is dependent on the density and connectivity of towers, and so flights over rural areas, deserts or large water bodies were likely to suffer drops in connectivity. Airlines and providers are increasingly switching to satellite-based connections that are relatively less susceptible to interruptions because they can more effectively cover the entirety of the flight path from space. This is especially advantageous for long haul flights that fly over oceans and various continents. Airlines are addressing the second challenge by suitable distribution of Wi-Fi access points within the cabin to provide reliable connectivity for all passengers. In this white paper, a simulation-based approach is described that can help provide reliable Wi-Fi access to all passengers in a large aircraft cabin (airplane length 72m and wingspan 75m) that is typically used for long-haul flights.

Both the 2.4GHz and 5.3GHz bands are considered for simulation of Wi-Fi coverage in the large aircraft cabin and related data rates are computed as per the wireless standard IEEE 802.11ax. For both frequency bands, suitable microstrip patch antennas were designed in Altair Feko and used as Wi-Fi access points in WinProp. In addition, WinProp can consider any potential interference issues with devices using Bluetooth, which operates at 2.4GHz as well.