Sandstorm effect on experimental optical camera communication

International audienceSandstorms can severely affect outdoor Optical Wireless Communications (OWC) reliability by diminishing large regions' visibility. In this work, the effect of a real sandstorm on Optical Camera Communications (OCC) links is experimentally evaluated. Two link ranges are essayed using a cost-efficient telescope-based camera setup with commercial LEDs. Using On-Off Keying modulation, a data rate of 1035 and 630 bps with error probabilities of 9.14•10 −5 and 4.1•10 −3 for 100 m and 200 m respectively can be achieved. The Signal-to-Noise Ratio of the links was optimized by tuning the analog amplifier's gain of the camera, increasing it by up to 9 dB. It is shown that the scattering due to the sandstorm can be even beneficial for increasing the data rate in OCC (contrary to classical photodetector-based OWC links) thanks to an increment of 33% on the Region of Interest dimensions compared to the expected clear-air link