Effect of oversimplifying the simulated indoor propagation on the deterministic MIMO capacity

MIMO systems have shown promising information capacity gain in a multipath-rich environment. Evaluation of the MIMO achievable capacity requires knowledge of the RF channel matrix. A common approach is to assume a Rayleigh fading channel and, accordingly, evaluate the statistical average of the capacity. This simple approach neglects the dependence of the capacity on the specific propagation environment. Alternatively, in this work, we use a deterministic approach based on the simulation of the RF propagation channel matrix for specific scenarios, which includes the propagation characteristics. Consequently, the RF channel matrix can be found, yielding the deterministic MIMO capacity. The objective of this work is to show how an oversimplification of the RF simulation characteristics (number of rays, planar/non-planar reflection tracing and wall thickness) affects the evaluated deterministic MIMO capacity.