Evaluating the influence of diverse rain attenuation levels on 60GHz MMW transmission in free space optical communication systems

Free Space Optics (FSO) technologies are being studied as a viable solution for the next generation of link networks, needed to meet the ever-increasing demand for higher data rates. This technology offers numerous advantages such as enhanced security at high data rates, high bandwidth, and low-cost deployment on an unlicensed frequency. However, the primary limiting factor in the widespread adoption of FSO technology is the impact of adverse weather conditions, including fog, rain, turbulence, and other atmospheric phenomena, which result in significant signal attenuation and reduce the transmission distance of the link. In this article, Amplitude Modulation (AM) is used to create a 60 GHz millimeter wave (MMW), which is then transmitted via an FSO link. The performance of the proposed Radio Over FSO (RoFSO) system is examined for a number of parameters, including different levels of rain attenuation ranging from light rain to heavy rain, as well as the range of the link. The findings reveal that, under different rain attenuation conditions and with a bit rate of $2.5 \mathrm{~Gb} / \mathrm{s}$, the maximum achievable link distance is 1 km, while maintaining a low bit error rate (BER) below 10e-9.