Apparatus and method for providing signal quality measurements in drive test systems for wireless networks

摘要

An apparatus and method for assessing the signal strength, quality and sources of interference in a wireless network. A drive test is performed using a receiving scanner in a geographic area that contains a plurality of base stations within a carrier's wireless network. The receiver and companion logic measure, analyze and record synchronization channels across all the frequencies used by the local base station. Signal quality is computed and expressed in the form of RxQual. Multiple readings are taken in a brief time period (˜480 msec) thus an average, representative quality is assessed. Signal fading, degradation, and interference are calculated using corelative techniques, for each used frequency. If the signal quality level is insufficient, then a scan for adjacent channel and co-channel interference is done. The data and analyses are used by the carrier to fine tune the wireless network system.