R&S TSME drive test scanner

The R&S TSME is a compact drive test scanner for wireless communications standards and frequency bands. Measuring 151 x 47 x 93 mm and weighing 650 g, it consumes very little power, making it suitable for testing the quality of communications channels in the field as well as inside buildings with high data traffic. The scanner is claimed to achieve higher measurement speeds than comparable devices.

The device helps network operators, infrastructure manufacturers and service providers with coverage planning, such as re-farming or assigning a new spectrum. Benchmarking measurements with other wireless networks is also possible. Network operators can use interference measurements to identify transmission problems caused by overlapping neighbouring cells or external interferers such as faulty lines or household electronics.

With its 350 MHz to 4.4 GHz measurement bandwidth, the product covers all bands specified for wireless communications technologies and can simultaneously measure any combination of technologies in each band. Typical combinations include UMTS and GSM in the 900 MHz band, LTE and GSM in the 1800 MHz band, UMTS in the 2100 MHz band and LTE in the 2600 MHz band.

LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation measurements can be performed due to the scanner’s wide measurement bandwidth. The scalable solution can help users roll out LTE networks with MIMO technology. Two or four scanners can be combined for special, MIMO 2x2 or MIMO 4x4 multichannel measurements.

Inside buildings such as airports, shopping centres and event venues, the scanner can be deployed as the R&S TSME-Z3 backpack system - a low-noise, mobile test solution allowing network operators to use the measurement results to optimise their networks efficiently. The backpack system can accommodate up to four R&S TSME scanners and two mobile phones, and comes with a range of accessories, such as two batteries and an integrated USB hub.