Deploying License-Free Wireless Wide-Area Networks

Weather and Other Atmospheric Effects

Microwave signals must pass through the earth's atmosphere (unless you are communicating from spacecraft to spacecraft, which is a not-too-distant possibility). The earth's atmosphere is a dynamic environment consisting of regions of constantly changing temperatures, pressures, water vapor, and weather. These changes affect the passage and the propagation of microwave signals. Understanding these propagation changes helps you design reliable wireless WANs.

Precipitation

Rain, snow, hail, fog, and sleet are all forms of precipitation—water or water vapor—that is present in the air. As you evaluate the effect that each form of precipitation has on your wireless WAN, keep in mind that the physical size of a ...