Wireless Pers Commun (2017) 97:1889–1910

DOI 10.1007/s11277-017-4334-9

Range Extension in IEEE 802.11ah Systems Through

Relaying

Enis Kocan1 • Bojan Domazetovic2 • Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic1

Published online: 23 May 2017

Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017

Abstract A great number of Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M)

based applications, which are telecommunication areas with the highest foreseen growth in
the future years, require energy efficient, long range and low data rate wireless commu-
nication links. In order to offer a competitive solution in these areas, IEEE 802.11 stan-
dardization group has defined the ‘‘ah’’ amendment, the first sub-1 GHz WLAN standard,
with flexible channel bandwidths, starting from 1 MHz, up to 16 MHz, and many other
physical and link layer improvements, enabling long-range and energy efficient commu-
nications. However, for some regions, like Europe, the maximum transmitted power in
dedicated frequency band is limited to only 10 mW, thus disabling the achievement of
ranges which would be close to targeted of up to 1 km. In this paper we examine possi-
bilities for range extension through implementation of half-duplex decode-and forward
(DF) relay station (RS) in communication between an access point (AP) and an end-station
(ST). Assuming a Rician fading channel between AP and RS, and a Rayleigh fading
channel on RS–ST link, we analytically derive results on achievable ranges for the most
robust modulation and coding schemes (MCSs), both on downlink (DL) and uplink (UL).
Analyses are performed for two different standard adopted deployment scenarios on RS–
ST link, and variable end-to-end link outage probabilities. Moreover, we have analyzed
whether the considered most robust MCSs, known for supporting the longest range, but the
lowest data rates, can meet the defined requirement of at least 100 kb/s for the greatest
attainable AP–RS–ST distances. We examine data rate enhancements, brought by coding
and using of short packets, for both DL and UL. Finally, we present bit error rate results,

& Enis Kocan

[email protected]
Bojan Domazetovic
[email protected]
Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic
[email protected]
1
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
2
Broadcasting center Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro

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obtained through simulations, of a dual-hop DF IEEE 802.11ah relay system for the
considered MCs. All presented results confirm that IEEE 802.11ah systems through
deployment of relay stations, become an interesting solution for M2M and IoT based
applications, due to flexibility they offer in many aspects, meeting requirements for wide
transmission ranges in such applications.

Keywords IEEE 802.11ah  Decode-and-forward relay  Range  Data

rate  BER

1 Introduction

For many decades, development of different telecommunication systems has been leading
towards the goal of achieving man-to man communications anywhere, anytime and with
anybody. During the last decade of the twentieth century, with expansion of Internet, this
paradigm has slightly shifted towards achieving man-to-machine communications.
Nowadays, our generations are witnessing the next conceptual change in telecommuni-
cations, with the focus on solutions for direct machine-to-machine (M2M) communica-
tions, as well as on provision of Internet connection for exponentially increasing number of
different ‘‘smart’’ devices (IoT—Internet of Things). Analyses forecast that, by 2020, tens
of billions of different devices will be connected, as a part of Internet of Things (IoT)
network [1]. This novel telecommunication concept has significantly affected global
telecommunication market, forcing industry and service providers to seek for cost-effective
and efficient communication solutions for IoT and M2M based applications. For a great
number of such applications, the optimal communication solution would be to provide low
power, wide range wireless transfer of data. In order to become competitive in this new
telecommunication market, WiFi alliance started the work on providing an extended range
wireless local area network (WLAN) solution. Thus, in 2010, they organized the work
through the IEEE 802.11ah standardization group, with the goal to design the first sub-GHz
WLAN standard [2].
In great number of M2M and IoT based applications, end-nodes will generate sporadic,
low data rate traffic, but there will be hundreds, or thousands of nodes connected to single
gateway/access point/base station, depending on the communication system used. Exam-
ples of such applications are data acquisition from different type of sensors, performing
environmental/plant/animal/traffic monitoring, smart metering, controlling different actu-
ators, etc. Thus, the IEEE 802.11ah working group aimed at specifying a network that will
enable connection of up to 6000 devices to a single access point (AP), with communication
range of up to 1 km, and data rates of at least 100 kb/s, [3].
Following on the existing standard and new requirements, IEEE 802.11 has developed
an amendment, IEEE 802.11ah, defined as a sub-1 GHz license-exempt OFDM (orthog-
onal frequency division multiplexing) based standard for future M2M communications.
The major improvements, introduced on physical and link layers, have enabled a flexible
WLAN standard, which supports a variety of application scenarios, starting from common
WLAN applications, up to providing a long range communication links for a large number
of energy constraint devices. Unlike the other IEEE 802.11 standards (a, b, g, n, ac) which
operate in 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands and are optimized for a limited number of high
data rate devices, 802.11ah supports network with a large number of low data rate devices

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enabling much longer transmission range, by using: propagation benefits of operation in

sub-1-GHz spectrum, flexible channel bandwidths (from 1 MHz up to 16 MHz), robust
modulation and coding schemes (MCS), short medium access control (MAC) frame,
increased sleep time, target wakeup time, etc., [2]. Thus for example, link budget gain of
24.5 dB can be attained in the IEEE 802.11ah system, operating over 1 MHz channel
bandwidth at 900 MHz band, when comparing with the IEEE 802.11n system, operating at
2.4 GHz [2].
Even before the first draft of IEEE 802.11ah standard appeared, which happened in
October 2013, research community had expressed interest in performance of the upcoming
WLAN standard, and this interest is now moving towards novel solutions for its perfor-
mance improvements, [4–12]. Validity of the proposed IEEE 802.11ah propagation path
loss models for urban smart grid applications is tested in [4]. The achievable data rates in
the case of shadow fading presence in outdoor environments, for different MCSs, packet
lengths and link outage probabilities, are examined in [5]. Channel occupancy, packet
delivery ratio, delay, energy consumption and data rates for two indoor (smart metering
and industrial automation) and two outdoor (agriculture monitoring and animal monitor-
ing) application scenarios are analysed in [6]. Throughput of the IEEE 802.11ah system,
with medium access control (MAC layer) mechanisms included, is presented in [7].
Comprehensive overview of the challenges and general findings in achieving long-range
WLAN communications is given in survey [8]. In case where only path loss effects are
taken into account, achievable transmission ranges for various MCS schemes and trans-
mission powers, as well as throughput performance for different MAC and MCSs, are
evaluated in [9], showing that maximum range is up to 1550 m for MCS10 and 1 W
transmission power. Implementing simulation model for the scenario with Rayleigh
multipath fading statistics, previously we have evaluated the achievable ranges on
downlink (DL) and BER performances of the most robust MCSs, for different transmission
powers, [10]. The obtained results have confirmed that even in a Rayleigh multipath fading
environment, the targeted range of 1 km can be achieved for transmission power of 1 W.
However, depending on the regions and country regulations, maximum transmission power
for IEEE 802.11ah systems may be limited to only 10 mW, like it is in Europe. Results
given in [9, 10 ] show that such limitation of transmit power prevents achievement of
communication ranges close to 1 km, even if the most robust MCSs are implemented.
Thus, some other techniques should be applied.
In that context, one of the most promising solution for range extension in IEEE 802.11ah
systems is implementation of relay stations (RS), [7], which can also bring improved reli-
ability of data transmission in non-line of sight (NLoS) scenarios, and can reduce energy
consumption of end-stations (ST). This possibility of employing a dual-hop relay system,
where a half-duplex RS applies decode-and-forward (DF) relaying, has been already
included in the specification of the IEEE 802.11ah standard [3, 12]. This means that RS in the
first time slot receives information, then performs full decoding, and encodes it again before
transmission in the second time slot. RS encompasses two logical entities, access point and
end-station, assuming that RS would appear as an access point (AP) to ST, while in the
communication with AP, it would behave as ST. There are very few research works in
literature dealing with performances of such IEEE 802.11ah relay systems. In [11] the author
proposes an algorithm for minimizing sensor energy consumption in IEEE 80211ah relay
based network. In [12] authors examine throughput enhancement that a full-duplex inband
RS can bring compared to half-duplex RS. However, to the best of authors’ knowledge, there
are no research results published yet about the benefits that RS implementation can bring to
the IEEE 802.11ah system, in terms of range extension and data rate.

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Thus, in this paper we examine the achievable transmission ranges for both downlink
(DL) and uplink (UL) communications in the IEEE 802.11ah dual-hop relay system, for
the most robust MCS schemes, assuming Rayleigh fading statistics on RS-ST link, and
Rician fading on AP–RS link. We focus our attention on systems that could be deployed in
Europe, which will have a limit on 10 mW for the transmit power. Further on, we analyse
influence of the expected end-to-end link outage probability (Pout-tot) on the achievable
range, assuming different deployment scenarios.
We also derive achievable data rates for the assumed fading scenarios in dual-hop DF
relay systems, with the goal to examine if the considered MCS schemes, knowing for
attaining the longest range, but the lowest data rates, can meet the required data rate of at
least 100 kb/s. Then, it is analysed how changes in packet sizes, in Pout-tot, and imple-
mentation of coding, affect these achievable data rates on DL and UL. At the end, using the
simulation model developed for the purpose of this research, bit error rate (BER) per-
formances of the IEEE 802.11ah relay system on DL and UL are obtained.
The performance assessment of IEEE 802.11ah DF relay systems presented in this paper
is performed with the goal to determine whether the novel WLAN standard can be considered
as competitive communication technology for IoT and M2M based applications in Europe.
To that aim, the paper is organized as follows. Basic characteristics of physical layer of IEEE
802.11ah systems are presented in Sect. 2. The achievable ranges in the novel WLAN
standard for direct link communication, as well as for the case of RS implementation, are
given Sect. 3. Data rate performances of the IEEE 802.11ah system, both in cases of direct
link communication and for dual-hop DF relay communication are derived and analyzed in
Sect. 4. BER performance of the IEEE 802.11ah relay system, obtained through simulations,
are presented in Sect. 5, while concluding remarks are given in Sect. 6.

2 Basic Physical Layer Characteristics

IEEE 802.11ah is based on the OFDM-based technology, which inherits the basic physical
layer design from 802.11ac/n standards. The goal of IEEE 802.11ah standard is to offer a
robust and efficient solution for the needs of M2M and IoT based applications, requiring in
most cases long range and low power wireless communications. For achieving longer
communication ranges, besides using sub-1GHz spectrum, new WLAN standard imple-
ments narrower channel bandwidth, thus increasing signal to noise ratio (SNR) at the
receiver. Compared with the previous IEEE 802.11 standards, where the narrowest used
channel bandwidth is equal to 20MHz, the IEEE 802.11ah supports 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 MHz
channel bandwidths. It is mandatory that all IEEE 802.11ah equipment support channel
bandwidths of 1 and 2 MHz, while the remaining ones are left as options. The number of
used sub-carriers for 1 MHz channel is 26 per an OFDM symbol (2 pilot tones and 24 data
sub-carriers) and for higher channel bandwidths the number of data and pilot tones (fixed,
traveled) increases (484 tones for 16 MHz bandwidth). The tone spacing between adjacent
subcarriers is 31.25 kHz for all bandwidth modes [9]. This makes the inverse/discrete
Fourier transform (IDFT/DFT) period equal to 32 ls, which is 10 times longer than in
802.11ac systems. The OFDM symbol period is 40 ls, comprising 8 ls guard interval (GI)
(36 ls with short GI).
Besides flexibility in channel bandwidths, IEEE 802.11ah systems can choose between
10 different modulation and coding schemes (MCSs), and support up to four spatial
streams, which all jointly provides wide variety of possible ranges and data rates they can

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Table 1 MCS and achievable data rates for 1, 2 and 16 MHz bandwidth, and 1 spatial stream
Modul. Code rate 1 MHz (Mb/s) 2 MHz (Mb/s) 16 MHz (Mb/s)

MCS0 BPSK 1/2 0.30 0.65 6.5

MCS1 QPSK 1/2 0.60 1.3 13
MCS2 QPSK 3/4 0.90 1.95 19.5
MCS3 16QAM 1/2 1.2 2.6 26
MCS4 16QAM 3/4 1.8 3.9 39
MCS5 64QAM 2/3 2.4 5.2 52
MCS6 64QAM 3/4 2.7 5.85 58.5
MCS7 64QAM 5/6 3 6.5 65
MCS8 256QAM 3/4 3.6 7.8 78
MCS9 256QAM 5/6 4 N/A for 1 spat. stream 86.67
a
MCS10 BPSK 1/2 0.15
a
includes 29repetition mode to increase the range

offer for various applications. Table 1 presents the specified MCSs, with achievable data
rates for single spatial stream, depending on the bandwidth used [7]. It should be noted
that, compared to previous IEEE 802.11 standards, MCS10 is the newly introduced MCS,
which implies 29repetition coding, binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation and 1/2
coding rate, thus providing the greatest achievable range in 802.11ah systems.
Minimum receiver sensitivity, or minimum detectable signal (MDS) in 802.11ah sys-
tems is going from -98dBm for the binary phase shift keying (BPSK) with 1/2 code rate
and repetition coding at 1 MHz channel bandwidth (i.e. for MCS10), up to -58 dBm for
the 256 quadrature amplitude modulation (256QAM) with code rate of 5/6 and at channel
bandwidth of 16 MHz, [13]. Following MCS10, the next most robust MCS scheme is
MCS0, with MDS being equal to -95 dBm at the 1 MHz channel bandwidth, and
-92 dBm at the 2 MHz channel bandwidth.
The described modifications on physical layer, as well as novel solutions on link layer,
will enable fulfilling of technical requirements associated with IEEE 802.11ah adopted use
cases, which are namely: sensors and meters, backhaul aggregation, and extended range
WLAN and cellular off-loading [7].
Implementation of IEEE 802.11ah systems for sensing and metering applications rep-
resents the most perspective application scenario, comprising smart meters, environmental
and agricultural monitoring, smart grids, automation of industrial processes, indoor
healthcare/fitness systems, etc. The novel robust MCS and favorable propagation charac-
teristics at sub-1 GHz bands, allow creation of a communication approach for wireless
sensor networks (WSN), which outperforms other WSN communication solutions oper-
ating in licence free bands, like ZigBee and Bluetooth, in terms of throughput and cov-
erage, while remaining very energy efficient (see Table 2) [6].
Since IEEE 802.11ah operates in the license-exempt frequency band, the specified
operation parameters (frequency bands, maximum effective radiated power-ERP and
channel bandwidths-B) are different from region to region, or even from country to
country, depending on country’s regulations (Table 3), [8].
As it has been already mentioned, it can be seen from Table 3, that in Europe, China
and South Korea, ERP is limited to only 10mW. Thus, it is necessary to examine the

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Table 2 Comparison of 802.11ah with other solutions for WSN

Zigbee Bluetooth IEEE 802.llah

Standard IEEE 802.15.4 IEEE IEEE 802.11ah

802.15.1
Frequency EU: 868 MHz North America: 915 MHz Global: 2.4 GHz Sub-1 GHz
band 2.4 GHz
Data rate 868 MHz band: 20 kb/s 915 MHz band: 40 kb/s 1 Mb/s 150 kb/s–347 Mb/s
2.4 GHz band: 250 kb/s
Typical 2.4 GHz band: 10–100 m 10–30 m 100–1000 m
range
TX power 1–100 mW 1–10 mW 10 mW \ Ptx \ 1 W
(depending on the
country’s regulations)

Table 3 IEEE 802.11ah Spec-

Geographic area Frequency [MHz] ERP [mW] B [MHz]
trum, ERP and channel
bandwidths
China 614–787; 779–787 5; 10 1
Europe 863–868.6 10 1; 2
Japan 915.9–929.7 1; 20; 250 1
Singapore 866–869; 920–925 500 1; 2; 4
South Korea 917–923.5 3; 10 1; 2; 4
United States 902–928 1000 1–16

achievable ranges of IEEE 802.11ah system in different realistic scenarios, in order to

obtain insight in its competitiveness in the mentioned regions.

3 Achievable Ranges

When analyzing the IEEE 802.11ah standard, the focus is on one of its main features:
achievement of long-range communications, targeting distances of up to 1 km. To that
aim, the standard has incorporated many different physical and link layer solutions, not
existing in the other IEEE 802.11 group of standards.
The achievable range of IEEE 802.11ah system can be assessed using the link-budget
expressed with:
Prx ¼ Ptx þ Gtx  PLðdÞ þ Grx ð1Þ
where Prx and Ptx represent received and transmitted power, respectively, expressed in
dBm. Gtx and Grx are transmit and receive antenna gains, respectively, given in dBi, while
PL(d) denotes path loss in dB at distance d. In this model, we have omitted possible system
losses at the transmitter and the receiver. In the channel model adopted for the standard,
two possible IEEE 802.11ah outdoor path loss models are used. The first one, denoted as
macro deployment, assumes that the access point antenna is placed in a position which is
15 m above rooftop, and path loss in dB is given by [4]:
PLðd Þ ¼ 8 þ 37:6  log10 ðdÞ; ð2Þ

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where d is in meters, and carrier frequency is 900 MHz. Another model is pico/hot zone
deployment outdoor path loss model which assumes that the antenna height is at roof top
level, and path loss is obtained as [4]:
PLðdÞ ¼ 23:3 þ 36:7  log10 ðdÞ ð3Þ

Fig. 1 presents the level of received power in dBm, for downlink (DL) and uplink com-
munications, for different AP – ST distances. Results representing the received power levels in
macro and pico deployment scenarios, for two levels of the AP transmit powers, are given. It is
taken that access point (AP) antenna has a gain of 3 dBi, while IEEE 802.11ah station (ST) has
0 dBi antenna gain, and 0 dBm transmit power, when uplink (UL) transmission is considered.
Results representing received power levels in macro and pico deployment scenarios, for two
levels of AP transmit powers, are given. In order to assess the achievable ranges, minimum
detectable signal (MDS) levels are also given for MCS0, in case where the channel bandwidth
is B = 2 MHz (MDS = -92 dBm), then in case where MCS0 is implemented over
B = 1 MHz channel bandwidth (MDS = -95 dBm), and for MCS10 (MDS = -98 dBm).
From Fig. 1, it can be seen that the requested range, up to 1 km, will be achieved on DL
for the macro deployment, in cases where the AP transmit power is equal to 1 W, for all
three considered MCSs. However, in Europe, where the maximum allowed transmit power
of AP is Ptx = 10mW, it is evident that even in the macro deployment scenario the
achievable DL range is far below the desired 1 km, and it is equal to 550 m for MCS10.
For the pico deployment scenario, the greatest achievable range on DL is approximately
850 m, and it is achieved for the case of Ptx = 1 W and MCS10. For the same deployment
scenario and MCS scheme implemented, if Ptx = 10 mW, the achievable DL range is
approximately 250 m. Comparing the results for the macro and pico deployment scenarios,
we can see that significantly greater ranges are achieved in the macro deployment scenario,
due to smaller path-loss value in this model. This suggests that the AP position will have

Fig. 1 Achievable ranges, taking into account path loss only

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great influence on the communication range, and it should be placed above rooftops
wherever it is feasible.
As it could be expected, the achievable ranges are significantly lower in UL than in any
considered DL communication, since the ST transmit power is equal to 1mW. Thus, in the
macro deployment scenario, the maximum UL achievable range (for MCS10) is 300 m,
while in the pico deployment scenario, it is about 140 m.
Our previous analysis did not include the influence of fading effect, which additionally
reduces the achievable range. Namely, if we take into account the presence of multipath
fading on communication link between AP and ST, then another power loss component has
to be included in the relation (1), represented with the fade margin (FM) term. FM has to
be introduced in the fading channel analysis, in order to assure that, with a certain prob-
ability level, the received signal power will be higher than the minimum detectable signal:
Prx ¼ Ptx þ Gtx  PLðdÞ þ Grx  FM; ð4Þ
with FM also expressed in dB.
Let us assume that the channel experiences Rayleigh fading. Then, the probability
density function (PDF) of the signal envelope R, is given with:
 
r r2
fR ðrÞ ¼ 2 exp  2 ; r  0 ð5Þ
r 2r

where E½R2  ¼ r 2 ¼ 2r2 represents the mean signal power level. Cumulative distribution
function (CDF) of the signal envelope is equal to a probability that the signal envelope falls
below a certain level, which is equivalent to the link outage probability, Pout:
 
r2
PðR  rÞ ¼ Pout ¼ 1  exp  2 ; r  0 ð6Þ
2r

In order to determine FM for the case of Rayleigh fading channel, it is assumed that the
mean signal power is r2 ¼ 2r2 ¼ 1. Then, the minimum allowed level of the received
signal envelope, rmin, for the required link outage probability, Pout, is derived from (6) as:
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
rmin ¼  lnð1  Pout Þ ð7Þ

Having that the square of rmin represents the minimum level of the received signal
power, and knowing that the mean signal power is equal to 0 dB, FM which guarantees the
required value of link outage, is obtained as:
FM½dB ¼ 0  10  log10 ð lnð1  Pout ÞÞ ð8Þ

Table 4 gives FM values for different link outage probabilities, for the Rayleigh fading
statistics.

Table 4 FM in Rayleigh fading

Pout(%) FM [dB]
channel
1 29.99
5 12.89
10 9.77
20 6.51
40 2.92

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Figure 2 shows achievable ranges for UL and DL communications in the IEEE

802.11ah system, when the link outage probability, due to the presence of Rayleigh
multipath fading, is assumed to be 10%. With the additional power loss of 9.77 dB in the
link budget, which is actually the value of FM for Pout = 0.1, it can be seen that achievable
ranges are significantly lower than the ones presented in Fig. 1. Thus for example, it is
obtained that only in the macro-deployment scenario, for the case of Ptx = 1 W in DL
communication and MCS10 scheme implemented, the communication link can be estab-
lished between AP and ST which are separated 1 km. In UL communication, maximum
achievable ranges are about 80 and 170 m, for the pico and macro deployment,
respectively.
The results presented so far show that UL communication range is always far below the
desired target of 1 km, while on DL, only when Ptx = 1 W the most robust MCS can
ensure, or be very close, this target range. One of the solutions proposed for further range
extension in IEEE 802.11ah systems, is implementation of relay stations (RSs). In this
analysis, we consider a scenario where all communication processes between AP and ST
are performed through RS, meaning that there is no communication link between AP and
ST. In a dual-hop relay based communication, where one RS takes part in communication
between AP and ST, the end-to-end communication will be in outage if either of links (or
hops: AP–RS and RS–S T) is in outage. Thus, due to the cascade connection of these two
links, if it is required that end-to-end communication between AP and ST cannot be in
outage for more than Pout, then each of the two hops must maintain outage performance on
Pout/2.
In our further analysis, focus is on performances of IEEE 802.11ah with implemented
DF relays. Moreover, we consider the most critical case for achieving a long-range
communication, i.e. the situation when both AP and RS transmit with Ptx = 10 mW, while
in UL communications, the ST transmit power is equal 1 mW. In all relay communication

Fig. 2 Achievable ranges for the Rayleigh fading channel (Pout=0.1)

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analyses presented in this paper, we assume realistic scenario where AP is placed in such a
position, that AP–RS link experiences Rician fading, with the Rician K factor of 9 dB, and
the path-loss on this link is always calculated assuming macro deployment scenario. RS–
ST link has Rayleigh fading statistics, and both possible deployment scenarios on this link
are analyzed. If not otherwise stated, an uncoded system with BPSK modulation is applied.
Using the relation for link budget (1), and implementing corresponding path-loss
models for AP–RS [see Eq. (2)] and RS–ST [see Eq. (3)] links, we have first obtained
results on achievable ranges for both DL and UL communications in IEEE 802.11ah dual-
hop DF relay systems, for scenarios without multipath fading. The graphs on Fig. 3
actually present the minimum among signal powers received at each of the two hops, given
as a function of the RS–ST distance, for the chosen AP–RS distance of 500 m. The
Figure’s legend has the following meanings: ‘‘macro–macro depl.’’ denotes either DL or
UL scenario when on both hops path-loss model for the macro deployment is used;
‘‘macro-pico depl.’’ denotes DL scenario where the macro deployment is assumed for the
first hop, while the pico deployment is on the second hop; ‘‘pico-macro depl.’’ is intro-
duced for UL communication, with the pico path-loss model on the first hop and the macro
deployment model on the second hop.
The obtained achievable ranges for the direct AP–ST communication in the path-loss
only scenario, previously presented in Fig. 1, are now extended for the chosen AP–RS
distance of 500 m. From Fig. 3, it can be seen that the target range between AP and ST of
1 km is outreached on DL for macro–macro deployment scenario and MCS10 imple-
mented. The maximum achievable communication range on UL is about 840 m, for the
macro–macro deployment scenario and MCS10 scheme. For the chosen AP–RS distance,

Fig. 3 Achievable ranges in IEEE 802.11ah relay system, taking into account path-loss only

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MCS0 can also be implemented in all four presented communication scenarios, which will
result in 30–80 m smaller range compared to the case with MCS10 implemented,
depending on the deployment scenario on hops, and whether UL or DL is considered.
With the same methodology applied for analyzing the IEEE 802.11ah system without
relays, the presence of multipath fading on both hops is added for further considerations.
Multipath fading significantly influences the results on achievable ranges, all depending on
the expected end-to-end outage probability, Pout_tot. Using (4), and the corresponding FM
terms for the assumed fading statistics on the hops, we have calculated the minimum
among signal powers received at each hop, which for DL communication denotes lower of
signal powers received at RS and ST, while for UL communications denotes lower of the
signal powers received at RS and AP. Figure 4 gives results on DL and UL achievable
ranges, for the expected end-to-end outage probability of Pout_tot = 0.1, and for the AP–RS
distance of 400 m. FM derivation for the assumed Rician fading channel is given in [16].
Using that, and the fact that the per-link outage (Pout) is equal to 5%, for the expected
Pout_tot of 10%, we have obtained FM on the AP–RS link to be 4.5 dB. On the RS–ST link,
with Rayleigh fading statistics, FM is equal to 12.89 dB (given in Table 5).
From Fig. 4, it can be concluded that the maximum achievable DL range on the RS–ST
link is equal to 250 m for MCS10, thus resulting in the maximum distance between AP and
ST of 650 m (400 ? 250 m), in the macro–macro deployment case. When RS is not placed
15 m above rooftop, i.e. for the pico deployment scenario on the RS–ST link, maximum
achievable DL range becomes 510 m (400 ? 110 m). Further on, the ST–RS uplink
communication allows the maximum range of about 140 m for the macro deployment, and
60 m for the pico deployment, both for MCS10, which are extended by 400 m distance
between AP and RS.
It is evident that lowering the required level of the end-to-end link outage probability, a
lower FM on both links in the dual-hop relay system would be obtained, which turns into
greater achievable range. Figure 5 presents DL communication range in the IEEE

Fig. 4 Achievable ranges in IEEE 802.11ah relay system in multipath fading scenario

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Table 5 FM values
AP–RS link RS–ST link

Pout_tot(%) Pout(%) FM [dB] Pout(%) FM [dB]

20 10 3 10 9.77
40 20 2 20 6.51

Fig. 5 Achievable DL ranges in IEEE 802.11ah relay system, in multipath fading scenario, for different
Pout-tot values

802.11ah DF relay system with Ptx = 10 mW, in cases where end-to-end link outages are
Pout_tot = 0.2 and Pout_tot = 0.4. Table 5 gives information on Pout per link and corre-
sponding fade margins on each link in the chosen scenarios.
From Fig. 5, it can be seen that maximum achievable ranges on the RS–ST link are
about 370 m and 300 m, for Pout_tot = 0.4 and Pout_tot = 0.2, respectively, both for
MCS10 and the macro deployment scenario on this link. Moreover, it can be concluded
that the AP–RS distance can be increased above the taken 400 m, while still keeping the
received signal power level above MDS at RS for MCS10. Of course, the ranges for the
pico deployment scenario on the RS–ST link are far below the ones in the macro
deployment scenario, and they are about 190 and 150 m, for Pout_tot = 0.4 and
Pout_tot = 0.2, respectively, for MCS10.
All presented analyses on achievable ranges in IEEE 802.11ah systems show positive
effects of relay implementation, which directly contributes towards creating conditions for
considering the new WLAN standard as an interesting solution for IoT and M2M based
applications. To that aim, it is shown that the position of AP and RS should be carefully

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chosen, in order to meet the requirements for good communication link between them, i.e.
to enable long range communications.
The benefits of RS implementation for range extension in IEEE 802.11ah systems are
especially important for UL communication. Namely, for plethora of existing and foreseen
IoT and M2M based applications, a complete traffic, or most of the traffic is transferred
through the uplink. These end-devices (nodes, or stations) in most cases would be battery
powered, thus requiring a low power transmission for extended battery life, and, at the
same time, an achievement of the longest possible communication ranges. Such conditions
are common for all world regions, and transmit power levels of 0 dBm, like we assumed in
our analysis, will be mostly used. Having this in mind, it is sure that IEEE 802.11ah will
rely on implementation of relay stations, in order to prevail in performances over com-
peting IEEE 802.15.4 solutions.

4 Data rate Analysis

IEEE 802.11ah standard specifies the target data rate of at least 105 b/s, which should be
attained for all stations receiving signals above the MDS level. It is clear that the most
robust MCS schemes, achieving the greatest communication range, actually have the
lowest data rate among all MCSs. Thus, in our further analyses of IEEE 802.11ah systems
we put focus on the maximum communication ranges achieved, while the target data rate
of at least 105b/s is fulfilled. We consider the MCS0 scheme with B = 1 MHz, which is the
second most robust MCS scheme in terms of achievable range, and it has twice higher data
rate than MCS10. This is due to the fact that in terms of achievable data rate, this scheme is
two times better than the MSC10 scheme, since the repetition coding in MSC10, while
enabling the range extension, lowers twice the data rate.
We first analyze achievable data rates for the direct AP–RS communication (no relay),
for the given packet error rate (PER), and in the presence of Rayleigh fading that may
cause the link outage. The relation between data rate and PER can be derived using the
expression for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver side:
S S Eb Eb R
SNR ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ð9Þ
N N0 B N0 BTb N0 B
where S represents the received signal power, which corresponds to the linear value of Prx
from (4). Eb is the bit energy, Tb denotes the bit duration, R is the data rate, B is the receiver
system bandwidth. The noise power, N, is given as:
N ¼ N0 B ¼ kT0 FB ð10Þ
with N0 denoting the noise spectral density, k being Boltzmann’s constant, T0 is the
receiver temperature expressed in Kelvins (K), and F is the receiver noise figure.If dB
values are introduced in (9), it becomes:
     
S Eb R
¼ þ10 log10 ð11Þ
N dB N0 dB B

Combining relations (4) and (11), an expression for the maximum achievable system
data rate (in dB) is obtained, being a function of distance d (in m) between transmitter and
receiver:

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1902 E. Kocan et al.

ðRðdÞÞdB ¼ Ptx þ Gtx  PLðdÞ  FM þ Grx  ðEb =N0 ÞdB N0 ð12Þ

Relation (12) gives an insight in maximum achievable data rate, for the required level of
bit error rate (BER). Namely, the term Eb/N0 is set to the value that can guarantee
achievement of the required BER. For the BPSK modulation, which is implemented in
MCS0 and MCS10, Eb/N0, for the given BER, is derived from the expression:
rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2Eb
BER ¼ Q ð13Þ
N0

In WLAN systems, data are transferred in form of packets. If it is assumed that the
errors within packets are independent and that they occur with an equal probability, the
following relation between BER and the packet error rate (PER) applies:
PER ¼ 1  ð1  BERÞL ; ð14Þ
where L denotes the packet length in bits. In our analyses, for all considered packet lengths,
it is taken that the end-to-end PER is equal to 10%.
Figure 6 presents the maximum achievable data rates for MCS0 scheme with
B = 1 MHz, for the case of L = 4096 bytes, PER = 0.1 and Pout = 0.1.
From Fig. 6, it can be seen that, for the considered conditions, the target data rate of
105 b/s, at 1 km distance between AP and ST is achieved on DL for the system having
Ptx = 1 W in the case of macro deployment. For the pico deployment scenario, the system
with Ptx = 1 W achieves DL range of more than 900 m, with the data rate of 105 b/s. For
the system having Ptx = 10 mW, the target data rate of 105 b/s can be achieved for AP–ST
distances lower than 600 and 270 m for macro and pico deployment, respectively. When
UL communication is considered, with ST having Ptx = 1mW, the achievable ranges are
about 180 and 380 m, for macro and pico deployment, respectively, for the data rate of
105 b/s.

Fig. 6 Achievable data rate for MCS0 in IEEE 802.11ah system-Rayliegh fading scenario

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Greater ranges, for the target data rate of 105 b/s, can be achieved if we assume smaller
packet size and/or the implementation of coding, which would enable the same level of
BER for much lower Eb/N0 ratio. However, as it was previously shown, implementation of
relay station is the most effective solution for range extension. Thus, we examine
achievable data rates of dual-hop IEEE 802.11ah relay system for different packet sizes,
and for both uncoded and coded systems.
For the considered relay transmission, based on the dual-hop DF relaying protocol, the
end-to-end maximum achievable data rate can be obtained through:
RDF ¼ 0:5  minfR1 ; R2 g ð15Þ
where the term 0.5 is due to the transmission in two time-slots between source of infor-
mation and destination, and R1 and R2 denote the maximum achievable data rates on the
first hop and second hop, respectively. Relation (15) actually shows that in the dual-hop DF
relay system, the end-to-end data rate is upper limited by the worse of the two hops, i.e.
with the one having the lower SNR.
From relations (12)–(14), it can be seen that the maximum achievable data rate depends
on the PER value. In the considered IEEE 802.11ah dual-hop DF relay system erroneous
packet is received at the destination if an error occurs on the first hop (PER1), or, if error-
free transmission has been accomplished on the first hop, but an error occurs on the second
hop (PER2). Thus, the expression for end-to-end packet error rate in such a relay system
can be written as:
PERDF ¼ PER1 þ PER2 ð1  PER1 Þ ¼ PER1 þ PER2  PER1 PER2 ð16Þ

It is reasonable to assume that PER values on each hop will be significantly lower than
1, so we can neglect the term PER1PER2 in the final PERDF expression, thus having an
approximation:
PERDF  PER1 þ PER2 ð17Þ

In our further analysis, we have taken that PER values on both hops are the same, i.e. for
the assumed PERDF = 0.1, PER1 = PER2 = 0.05.
Figure 7 gives plots on the maximum achievable data rates on DL in the IEEE 802.11ah
dual-hop DF relay system, for different packet lengths, L, when Ptx = 10 mW for both AP
and RS. We have again assumed that the AP–RS channel has Rician fading statistics, and
only the macro deployment scenario for this link is considered. It is taken that the AP–RS
distance is 850 m. Other significant parameters for the considered scenario are: MCS0 with
B = 1 MHz and Pout-tot = 0.1.
The smaller packet size actually needs a lower Eb/N0 ratio for achieving the required
BER value, which then reflects to a higher data rate [see (12)]. Small packets of L = 256
bytes may be used in different IoT and M2M based applications.
From Fig. 7 it can be seen that, for the target data rate of 105 b/s, the achievable range
on RS–ST link is more than 420 m in the case of macro deployment and L = 256 bytes,
and about 190 m for the pico deployment. This means that even for the pico-deployment
on the RS–ST link, the goal of the communication range up to 1 km with data rate of
105 b/s is achieved, as the chosen AP–RS distance is 850 m.
If UL communication process is considered, Fig. 8 shows that the uncoded MCS0
scheme for L = 256 bytes, can achieve ranges of 120 and 270 m on the first hop (ST–RS
link), for pico and macro deployments on this link, respectively, all considering the target
data rate of 105 b/s. Having that RS–AP distance is 850 m (and can be a little bit more

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Fig. 7 Achievable DL data rate for MCS0 in IEEE 802.11ah relay system

Fig. 8 Achievable UL data rate for MCS0 in IEEE 802.11ah relay system

extended, while still achieving 105 b/s target data rate), then we can conclude that even in
the uplink communication the desired data rate of 105 b/s can be achieved for the distances
between ST and AP of up to 1 km. This communication distance can be far more extended
if coded MCS0 scheme is used. Thus, for example, a low density parity check (LDPC)

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decoder has approximately 8 dB coding gain for BPSK modulation and 1/2 code rate,
meaning that 8 dB lower Eb/N0 ratio for the same PER value per link is required [18]. This
is the data we used in our analysis presented in Fig. 8. All the other relevant parameters are
the same as in previous scenarios.
The previously presented results on achievable data rates in IEEE 802.11ah systems for
MCS0 with B = 1 MHz, show that, through the implementation of RS, with a carefully
chosen position of AP, the target data rate of 105 b/s can be achieved at AP–ST distances
up to 1 km, both on DL and UL. This means that whenever the signal is above the MDS
level in IEEE 802.11ah relay system, then the communication process between AP and ST
can be established through RS, with the data rate of 105 b/s, or higher. It is shown that if
any type of coding is used, or for the smaller end-to-end link outage, than these achievable
ranges, for the target data rate of 105 b/s, can be further extended.

5 BER Performance Analysis

Having an insight in the level of range extension attainable through implementation of

relay stations in IEEE 802.11ah systems, we wanted to examine and compare BER per-
formances of the most robust MCS schemes, in scenarios where they will be used for
establishing communications at the greatest feasible distances. Taking that RS employment
provides additional 400 m in communication link between AP and ST, in the following
section we present BER of the dual-hop IEEE 802.11ah relay system, obtained through
Monte Carlo simulations. We analyze uncoded MCS0 and MCS10 schemes, meaning that
we present BER performances of BPSK modulated dual-hop relay systems, with 1 MHz
channel bandwidth, which actually uses 24 data carriers separated by 31.25 kHz for data
transmission.

5.1 Simulation Parameters

We model both DL and UL communication processes of the uncoded dual hop IEEE
802.11ah DF relay system, with the focus on parameters’ values adjusted to European
regulations. This assumes that the AP transmit power is set to Ptx = 10 mW (10 dBm),
while for 802.11ah station 1 mW (0dBm) transmit power is defined.
Rician fading channel with K factor of 9 dB is modeled on AP–RS link, while the path-
loss on this link is calculated assuming the macro deployment scenario, for both DL and
UL communications. The Rayleigh fading on RS–ST link is assumed, and both possible
path loss models on this link are analyzed. We used Typical Urban model for multipath
fading on both links [15]. For RS with the fixed position and stationary end-station (ST),
Doppler shift is equal to 0 Hz for each scenario considered. Additive white Gaussian Noise
(AWGN) is assumed at each receiving communication device, with the noise power of
-145.22 dB. Noise figures of AP and RS are equal to 3 dB, while for the ST it is equal to
5 dB. Antenna gains at AP and RS are 3 dBi, and ST has 0 dBi antenna gain.
In these analyses we have assumed that RS and AP on UL, or RS and ST on DL, have
the perfect corresponding channel knowledge, so channel estimations are not included in
the simulation model.
Repetition coding is implemented in time domain for MCS10, assuming that the same
OFDM symbol is sent in two consecutive symbol intervals, and then two received symbols
are combined in the receiver, after the channel equalization.

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5.2 Results

BER results for the DL communication, presented as a function of RS–ST distance in dual-
hop IEEE 802.11ah relay system are presented in Fig. 9, while BER results for the UL
communication are given in Fig. 10.
From the results presented in Fig. 4, we have seen that, for the same assumed multipath
scenario as taken in this BER analyses, and for Pout-tot = 0.1, the achievable ranges on DL
for the IEEE 802.11ah relay system in the macro–macro deployment scenario are about
650 m (400 m AP–RS distance ? 250 m RS–ST distance) and 610 m (400 ? 210 m), for
MCS10 and MCS0, respectively. From Fig. 9, we can now read the expected BER values
for these greatest achievable ranges in the given conditions, thus having BER of 5 9 10-5
for MCS10 at 250 m RS–ST distance, and about 1.5 9 10-4 for MCS0 at 210 m distance
between RS and ST.
For the macro-pico deployment scenario, the achievable DL ranges for the same
assumed other conditions are significantly lower, and are equal about 510 m
(400 ? 110 m) and 465 m (400 ? 65 m), for MCS10 and MCS0, respectively. Corre-
sponding BER values at the edge of the RS coverage zone in the assumed scenario are
equal to 10-4 for MCS10 and 9 9 10-5 for MCS0.
When the UL communication is considered, we have seen that maximum achievable
ranges for the macro–macro deployment scenario in IEEE 802.11ah relay system, and for
the assumed conditions, are equal to 540 m (140 m ST–RS distance ? 400 m RS–AP
distance) and 510 m (110 ? 400 m), for MCS10 and MCS0, respectively (see Fig. 4).
Corresponding BER values obtained at these distances are about 10-5 for MCS10 at
540 m, and 7 9 10-5 for MCS0 at distance of 510 m (Fig. 10).

Fig. 9 DL BER performances of IEEE 802.11ah relay system

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Range Extension in IEEE 802.11ah Systems Through Relaying 1907

Fig. 10 UL BER performances of IEEE 802.11ah relay system

In the pico-macro UL communication scenario, for the maximum achievable range of

460 m, the BER value close to 10-5 can be expected. The second largest UL achievable
range of 440 m in this scenario, assuming employment of the MCS0 scheme, brings the
BER value close to 10-4.
Both Figs. 9, 10 show the benefits that the repetition coding (MCS10) brings to IEEE
802.11ah relay systems in terms of the BER performance improvement on DL and UL.
Thus for example, in the case of DL communication and macro–macro deployment, at RS–
ST distance of 250 m, the MCS10 attains the BER value of 5 9 10-5, while MCS0
scheme has BER value equal to 1.7 9 10-3. In UL communication process, for the same
deployment scenario, and at the same ST–RS distance of 250 m, the MCS10
scheme achieves the BER value of about 2.2 9 10-2, while the MCS10 scheme has BER
equal to 6.5 9 10-2.
At the end, the significance of carefully choosing the position of both AP and RS for the
overall performances of IEEE 802.11ah systems is also confirmed through analysis of BER
performances. Namely, BER results in the macro–macro scenario are much better than the
corresponding ones in the macro-pico (or pico-macro on UL) deployment scenario. Thus,
for example, we have that, in the DL communication and for the MCS10 scheme, BER
value of 10-4 in the macro–macro deployment scenario is outperformed at RS–ST dis-
tances shorter than 260 m, while for the macro—pico deployment, this BER value is
outperformed only at distances shorter than 110 m.

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6 Conclusions

Telecommunication market is undergoing through major changes, meaning that the

telecommunication industry and service providers must seek for efficient and cost-effective
solutions for enabling implementation of IoT and M2M based applications, in order to
remain competitive and to meet customers’ demands. There is no doubt that this is the most
promising segment of telecommunication market, with the explosive growth, which is
reflected through tens of billions of different devices to be interconnected in the next
couple of years. Being the leader in defining WLAN solutions, the IEEE 802.11 stan-
dardization group has defined the ‘‘ah’’ amendment as the extended range WLAN, oper-
ating at bands below 1 GHz, and offering lower data rates, narrow bandwidth
communications for IoT and M2M based applications. Besides using the channel at sub-
1 GHz frequency band, which has much better propagation characteristics than channels at
2.4 and 5 GHz used by most of the existing IEEE 802.11 standards, the IEEE 802.11ah
standard incorporates different physical and link layer solutions for achieving long-range
communications and serving up to 6000 nodes by a single access point. The defined goal is
to provide communication at distances up to 1 km, with at least 100 kb/s data rate.
Having that the maximum allowed transmit power for the access point (AP) in some
regions is limited to 10 mW, we have shown that in this case the targeted range cannot be
achieved in real case scenarios, assuming the presence of multipath fading, even when the
most robust modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) are used. Thus, in this paper we
provide for the first time comprehensive analysis on the level of range extension achievable
through the implementation of relay stations (RSs), which is shown to be the most effective
solution for attaining long range communications in IEEE 802.11ah systems. Moreover,
we examined whether the considered dual-hop relay systems achieving the longest range
through the implementation of the most robust MCSs, can also meet the required data rate
of 100 kb/s.
In the presented analyses of IEEE 802.11ah two-hop DF relay systems, we have
assumed real case scenarios, where positions of AP and RS are chosen in such a way to
ensure a link with line of sight communication between them (i.e. Rician fading channel),
while for the RS–ST channel we assumed Rayleigh fading statistics. All the conducted
analyses and presented results have shown that, even with 10 mW of the AP (and RS)
transmit power, IEEE 802.11ah systems may be very interesting and competitive solution
for IoT and M2M based applications, if relay stations are implemented. By carefully
choosing the position of AP and RS, the expected range on DL will be up to 800 m, while
on UL it will be about 550 m, all for the end-to-end link outage probability of 0.1. On the
other side, the targeted data rate of 100 kb/s will be outreached even in the UL commu-
nication process, whenever the signal level at the destination is equal to, or above MDS.
Operating in the license-exempt frequency band, with flexibility in providing different
data rates, an ability to provide connection of up to 6000 devices on a single AP, and with
communication ranges which are much higher than the ones achievable in systems based
on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, the IEEE 802.11ah will certainly find its place on the
future telecommunication market of IoT and M2M based applications.

Acknowledgement This work has been supported by the Ministry of Science of Montenegro and the
HERIC project through the BIO-ICT Centre of Excellence (Contract No. 01-1001).

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Enis Kocan is an assistant professor at Faculty of Electrical Engi-

neering, University of Montenegro. He received M.Sc. and Ph.D.
degrees in Telecommunications in 2005 and 2011, respectively, both
from the University of Montenegro. Part of his Ph.D. research Enis has
conducted at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has published
more than 60 scientific papers in international and national journals,
international and regional peer reviewed conferences. Enis is a co-
author of the book ‘‘OFDM-based relay systems for future wireless
communications’’, published by River Publishers, in 2012. He is
recipient of the Best Paper Award at the International conference on
Wireless Personal Multimedia Communications (WPMC 2013), held
in the frame of the Global Wireless Summit in 2013. Enis has par-
ticipated, or is still participating in realization of several international
and national research projects, in technical projects for the telecom-
munication operators, in creating development strategies and elabo-
rates in the area of mobile communications systems. His research areas
include digital communications over fading channels, with particular emphasis on the OFDM based
cooperative communications, solutions for 5G wireless networks and techniques for exposure reduction in
wireless communication systems.

Bojan Domazetovic is the Head of maintenance of TV and radio

infrastructure at the Broadcasting center Montenegro. He received
B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering in 2009, from the University of
Montenegro. He is currently M.Sc. student, with the research interest
in IoT wireless communication solutions in licence-free bands. He has
great experience in implementing DVB-T2 systems, being a project
manager of digitalization project for terrestrial television in
Montenegro.

Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic is a full professor in telecommunications at

the University of Montenegro, Faculty of Electrical Engineering,
Podgorica, Montenegro. She is also a director of the Research Center
for Info-Communication Technologies at the University of Montene-
gro. Mrs. Pejanovic-Djurisic has been teaching basic telecommunica-
tions courses on graduate and postgraduate levels, as well as courses in
mobile communications and computer communications and networks,
being the author of four books and many strategic studies. She has
published more than 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed interna-
tional and domestic journals and conference proceedings. Her main
research interests are: wireless communications, 5G wireless networks,
cooperative and energy efficient transmission techniques, optimization
of telecommunication development policy. Prof. Pejanovic-Djurisic
has considerable industry and operating experiences working as
industry consultant (Ericsson, Siemens) and Telecom Montenegro
Chairman of the Board. She has been in charge of wireless networks
design and implementation in Montenegro and in the region of SEEurope. Prof. Pejanovic-Djurisic has been
leading and coordinating many internationally and EU funded ICT projects with domestic and international
partners. She is an evaluation expert for HORIZON 2020 projects in the field of ICT and a member of IEEE
and IEICE. Prof. Pejanovic-Djurisic has also a considerable experience in the field of telecommunication
regulation. Being an ITU expert, she participates in a number of missions and ITU activities related with
regulation issues, development strategies and new technological solutions.

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