A Comparative Analysis of Single and Double RIS Deployment for Sensor Connectivity in L-Shaped Corridors

The deployment of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is fundamental for smart buildings, industrial automation, and healthcare. However, achieving uniform wireless coverage in complex indoor environments remains a significant challenge due to structural obstructions and non-line-of-sight areas. As an example of this problem and of the proposed solution, this paper addresses the signal coverage issue in an L-shaped corridor. We present a novel solution based on a double, entirely passive Reflective Intelligent Surface (RIS) configuration. This setup significantly improves both the amplitude and the spatial uniformity of the received power in the shadowed region, effectively overcoming the limitations of the single-RIS configuration, which often leaves coverage gaps in Non-Line-of-Sight areas. To model realistic multipath propagation, we developed a custom ray-tracing algorithm that takes advantage of the regular geometry of indoor environments to improve processing speed. The field response of an RIS is then evaluated by analyzing possible reflecting-surface configurations and comparing the performance of single- and double-RIS configurations. Additionally, a statistical analysis of the power received by an observer located anywhere in the corridor, considering RIS positioning uncertainties across various deployment scenarios, has been performed. Results show that the double-RIS solution increases the covered area by 76%, considering a receiver sensitivity of −100 dBm. The proposed approach can be easily generalized to other typical indoor environments with similar structural characteristics.