RF Coverage Validation and Prediction with GPS Technology

It has taken many years for wireless engineers to “tame” wireless communications and there are still many complexities in planning wireless networks due to the unpredictable and varying RF environment. There are mainly two techniques to plan and deploy wireless networks. One uses theoretical electromagnetic models to predict RF coverage. The theoretical model requires information for the survey area, such as the presence of trees, the location of buildings, the materials that comprise the buildings, and so on. Inputting the information into the prediction software and computing the coverage takes a lot of time. In addition, the varying environment increases the difficulty to accurately predict and maintain the coverage with the theoretical model. For example, tree foliage changes from winter to summer. The real signal in the environment is also unknown with prediction software.