Anritsu and TRX take indoor public

safety signal mapping into 3D

The National Fire Protection

Association adopted public

safety radio indoor

coverage requirements

several years ago that are

used for ensuring that first

responders have adequate

indoor coverage. Many

stakeholders, from building

owners to cities and their

first responders, need to

know that coverage

requirements are being met and have insight into coverage measurements throughout a

building or venue.

Ultimately, stakeholders want to know if a communications system will hold up when it is

most needed. Getting that information requires careful and accurate assessment of radio

frequency coverage, including positioning

information. But Global Positioning System (GPS)

signals are often unavailable or unreliable

indoors, making it difficult to conduct accurate

signal mapping. In addition, most indoor

mapping tools offer only a two-dimensional

mapping that may not capture the complexity of

environments such as elevators and stairways –

but these are locations where it's particularly

important for first responders to have good

coverage. Anritsu solves this issue of RF blind

spots with a three-dimensional, real-time approach

to signal mapping that was originally developed

to keep tabs on firefighters moving around

inside buildings.

This article originally appeared in the on-line

edition of RCR Wireless in May, 2016

By Wayne Wong, Anritsu Company

Anritsu S412E LMR Master with Android phone and

NEON Tracking Unit

"This technology came about from personnel tracking, and then

we saw a good fit for this technology for coverage mapping,"

said Wayne Wong, product manager with Anritsu. "This is a

very unique product. There isn't another product that does the

automatic 3D tracking of a person while they're doing RF

measurements."

Anritsu collaborated with TRX Systems to leverage its NEON

indoor location tracking and mapping solution and develop the

MA8100A series TRX NEON Signal Mapper. A tracker and TRX

software, used in conjunction with Anritsu's LMR Master handheld

instrument, enable lightly-trained users to be able to quickly

and accurately map signal and sensor information inside

buildings. The NEON system can be used with any of Anritsu's handheld instruments

which include spectrum analyzers, but supports some additional testing features when

used with the LMR Master that include bit-error rate, modulation fidelity/EVM and RSSI,

Wong said.

Most indoor mapping tools require the user to manually track their position by tapping a

tablet, Wong added, and those points can either be incomplete and may have

extrapolated data that doesn't accurately reflect the radio environment. Other set-ups

also often rely primarily on end-user devices rather than measurement-grade instruments

that are fully calibrated for consistent result reporting.

Data visualization is also a key component, he noted, with the accompanying software

able to quickly generate 3D coverage maps, breadcrumbs or play the test walk as a 3D

video. Cloud capabilities enable test results to be rapidly transmitted back to supervisors

who can review the data and check for gaps in coverage or additional data points that are

needed to avoid the costs associated with multiple visits.

® Anritsu Alltrademarksareregisteredtrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.Datasubject

to change without notice. For the most recent specifications visit: www.anritsu.com

11410-00954, Rev. A Printed in United States 2016-06

A tracker and TRX

software, used in

conjunction with

Anritsu's LMR Master

handheld instrument,

enable lightly-trained

users to be able to

quickly and accurately

map signal and sensor

information inside

buildings.

Anritsu and TRX take indoor public safety signal mapping into 3D