Electromagnetic spectrum monitoring of LTE channels based on SDR portable sensor: preliminary analysis

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary research for the implementation and testing of a Software Defined Radio (SDR) sensor with electromagnetic spectrum monitoring capabilities for measuring signals specific to the Long-TermEvolution (LTE) mobile communications standard. The proposed sensor is developed on the ADALM Pluto SDR platform - and is designed to acquire a bandwidth of at least 20MHz. To determine the spatial extent of the measurements, the sensor also includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) module. The hardware control of the sensor is performed both in stationary variant using a laptop and in mobile mode using a low-cost module - Raspberry Pi. Present findings suggest that the designed SDR solution represents a reliable and low-cost alternative for real-time spectrum monitoring of wideband signals like the case of 4G-specific signals. The cost of the whole implemented monitoring system is about EUR 330.

Real-Time Statistical Measurement of Wideband Signals Based on Software Defined Radio Technology

“…As with SAs, the performance of the SDR platform can affect the ability to measure signals with different bandwidths, resolutions, frequency ranges, etc. In [25], the Adalm PLUTO SDR platform was used to measure LTE signals, with a discussion regarding its ability to detect low amplitude signals. In addition, the Adalm Pluto SDR platform limits the instantaneous acquisition frequency bandwidth to 20 MHz, which restricts the monitoring of newer technologies, such as 5G or WLAN.…”