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Detection Probability Estimation of Directional Antennas and Omni-Directional Antennas

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Abstract

This paper studies the problem of detection of directional antennas and omni-directional antennas by hostile detection systems. We present a model for calculating the probability of detecting a transmitter at arbitrary location around the transmitter. Our study shows that, if a directional antenna employs the same transmit power as an omni-directional antenna, the directional antenna can not decrease the probability of being detected. In some scenarios, a directional antenna is more likely to be detected than an omni-directional antenna. However, if a directional antenna provides the same Effective Isotropic Radiated Power in the direction of the receiver as an omni-directional antenna, the transmit power needed by a directional antenna to send data is much less than that of an omni-directional antenna. In this scenario, the probability of detecting a directional antenna is reduced by over 90%. This reveals that directional antennas can be used to build a secure path to send data at low probability of being detected by adversaries.

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Correspondence to Xiaofeng Lu.

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Lu, X., Wicker, F.D., Towsley, D. et al. Detection Probability Estimation of Directional Antennas and Omni-Directional Antennas. Wireless Pers Commun 55, 51–63 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-009-9785-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-009-9785-1

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