Interference hunting with R&S FPH at night

Interference hunting

Locate and eliminate all kinds of interference

Unwanted transmitters are pervasive in today's mobile networks, degrading network capacity and reducing subscriber QoE. With the densification of cells and the deployment of emerging standards with higher-order modulation over legacy technologies, the RF environment is becoming ever-more complex making networks increasingly susceptible to rf interference and therefore radio interference hunting and spectrum clearance is a key issue for mobile network operators and regulators.

Your interference hunting challenges

External rf interference can originate from a licensed or non-licensed radio transmitter. A few dBs of reduction in signal to noise ratio at the receiver dramatically impacts network capacity with subsequent loss of revenue and subscriber QoE, requiring operators to hunt down rf interference quickly. On top the wider usage of TDD in mobile networks makes 5G interference hunting more time consuming because the rf interference hides behind the 5G downlink signals.

Our interference hunting solutions

Thankfully, sophisticated interference hunting receiver with time gating enable smooth 5G interference hunting as well as finding LTE interference when TDD is used. LTE/5G scanners can automatically identify unwanted transmitters and point to unsynchronized 5G signals, disturbing 5G and LTE TDD networks. and s Spectrum analyzers or receivers, together with a direction-finding antenna and sophisticated software, can automate the process to locate interference.

Products for interference hunting

R&S®PR200

Monitoring receiver

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R&S®Spectrum Rider FPH

Handheld spectrum analyzer

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R&S®MobileLocator

Automatic interference hunting and emitter location

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R&S®TSMx6

Network scanner family

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R&S®ROMES

Spectrum clearing for large or even country wide areas

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Your interference hunting benefits

Combining decades of expertise in the field with cutting-edge technology for every budget and use case, Rohde & Schwarz solutions for interference hunting allow network operators, regulators and service companies to identify and locate any source of RF interference in mobile networks fast and efficiently. By using sophisticated automated interference hunting systems, the average efficiency to find 1 to 2 interference sources per day can be tenfold.

Videos about interference hunting

Webinar: Performance degradation due to asynchronous 5G networks - Teaser

Webinar: Performance degradation due to asynchronous 5G networks

In this webinar we discuss calibration and uncertainty for angle-of-arrival (AoA) simulation using RF signal generators.

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Webinar: 3 Main Radio challenges impacting the mobile network performance

This webinar discusses the main radio challenges that impact the mobile network performance and quality.

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Webinar: Interference Hunting in a 5G World

Join us for this webinar, in which our Interference Hunting expert will explain what has changed for this topic in a 5G world.

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Webinar: Using direction finding to locate mobile network interference in minutes

Webinar: Using direction finding to locate mobile network interference in minutes

This webinar describes the process of interference hunting, examines the test tools available and identifies where DF can be used for maximum advantage.

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Webinar: Prepare your spectrum for 5G deployment

Webinar: Prepare your spectrum for 5G deployment

The roll out of 5G NR will initiate a worldwide deployment in an unknown radio environment where unwanted transmitters can degrade end user QoE and in some cases cause outages of critical services. Prior to deployment, operators need to ensure the radio environment is free from interference by conducting spectral clearance and interference hunting. This webinar defines the particular challenges of 5G NR, highlights a robust approach to prepare the spectrum and shares real field data at 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz.

Webinar series: interference hunting

Join Rohde & Schwarz experts for an on-demand online training program packed with a series of four webinars and materials for you to upskill your interference hunting.

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Webinar: Identifying and eliminating interference in mobile networks

Webinar: Identifying and eliminating interference in mobile networks

Interference in the Radio Access Network is ubiquitous and becoming more critical as the deployment of the latest cellular standards bring increased sensitivity and subsequent degradation of network performance. This webinar examines the different sources of interference in mobile networks and considers their impact on capacity and subscriber Quality of Experience.

Using FPH Gated Trigger Settings For a Live 5G Signal

Video: Using FPH Gated Trigger Settings For a Live 5G Signal

For TDD networks, the downlink and uplink signal share the same frequency band. They are divided by time (using different time slots). When using an analyser in frequency mode, the downlink would mask any uplink activities, being the dominant signal. Hence it is quite difficult (if not impossible) to see any uplink signals and possible interference sources. With R&S®Spectrum Rider FPH or R&S®Cable Rider ZPH (v.12 model with ZPH-K1 option) gated trigger feature, it is possible to mask out the downlink signal and focus on the uplink activities.

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Featured content for interference hunting

Interference Hunting – Identifying and mitigating interference sources

Video: Interference Hunting – Identifying and mitigating interference sources

Watch our video and learn more about the process of interference hunting from identification over verification to precise location and mitigation of interference sources.

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Poster: External Interference Hunting

Download or order this poster to get a comprehensive overview about the process of identifying and eliminating interference sources and the parties responsible for the dedicated process steps.

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Brochure: Interference hunting

Brochure: Interference hunting

With 5G and other wireless services new signal types with more complex modulations increasingly occupy the spectrum. This increases the risk of interference and makes it more difficult to mitigate. However, advanced equipment from Rohde & Schwarz significantly facilitates the interference hunting process.

White paper: An introduction to interference hunting

This white paper starts from basics, then examines the different sources of interference in mobile networks and describes a practical approach to the analysis of interferers and the tools used in the field to perform interference hunting.

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Application card: 5G NR – interference hunting in the uplink of TDD networks

The deployment of 5G NR brings new performance and applications but it also is the first global adoption of TDD networks where the downlink and the uplink use the same frequency; meaning that downlink signals can mask interference.Download this Application Card to discover how to identify and locate 5G NR interference that can significantly decrease performance and reliability.

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Application card: Interference hunting in smart factories

Smart factories rely heavily on wireless communications technology to automate production processes and increase productivity. RF interferer signals can be generated intentionally or unintentionally, appear at any time, be located anywhere on the production floor and can disrupt the production process or delay the output. This application card describes the process for determining the location of interferers so they can be eliminated.

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White paper: Why AOA outperforms POA in urban interference hunting

This white paper describes the AOA and POA methods applied to automatic radiolocation of RF interferers from a moving vehicle, comparing their performance with focus on cellular networks in urban areas.

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Application note: Interference hunting with R&S®FSH handheld spectrum analyzer

This application note explains how to detect, characterize, find and document interferers in cellular networks using the R&S®FSH spectrum analyzer.

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