This paper presents a measurement-based statistical model for indoor mmWave backscatter clutter at 28 GHz, using a narrowband monostatic radar configuration. A vertically stacked transmitter and spinning directional receiver were deployed in 251 locations across 27 rooms in New York, New Jersey, and Chile. The goal was to quantify azimuthal variability of backscatter power for realistic system-level sensing evaluations.
Key findings include: (1) Backscatter variation around the local average follows a lognormal distribution with a standard deviation of 6.8 dB; (2) Cross-correlation between azimuthal spectra drops to 0.3 at displacements of just 10 cm, revealing high spatial sensitivity; and (3) Average clutter power declines with room size and is generally higher in metal-rich environments. The resulting model enables simulation and analysis of device-free localization and indoor RF sensing systems using minimal scene parameters.
The work contributes to the broader effort in Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) and informs future 3GPP standardization efforts. The paper will be presented at IEEE APURSI 2025 in Ottawa, CA.
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