RainfalLTE: A Zero-Effect Rainfall Sensing System Utilizing Existing LTE Infrastructure

Environmental sensing is an important research topic in the integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) system. Current works often focus on static environments, such as buildings and terrains. However, dynamic factors like rainfall can cause serious interference to wireless signals. In this paper, we propose a system called RainfalLTE that utilizes the downlink signal of LTE base stations for device-independent rain sensing. In particular, it is fully compatible with current communication modes and does not require any additional hardware. We evaluate it with LTE data and rainfall information provided by a weather radar in Badaling Town, Beijing The results show that for 10 classes of rainfall, RainfalLTE achieves over 97 % identification accuracy. Our case study shows that the assistance of rainfall information can bring more than 40 % energy saving, which provides new opportunities for the design and optimization of ISAC systems.