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Seeking Your Opinion on an Upcoming Roadtest: SNYPER-LTE GRAPHYTE

rscasny

Greetings RoadTesters!image

 

Our tools and test equipment suppliers have really liked the RoadTest program. I think the reviews that roadtesters have provided are detailed, useful, and interesting reports on these types of products. So, I've been contacted by another test equipment manufacturer. This would be another first for the element14 roadtest program. Let me tell you about the SNYPER-LTE GRAPHYTE by Siretta.

 

The SNYPER-LTE Graphyte is a network signal analyser and cellular signal logger, dedicated to surveying and logging the 4G/LTE (EU), 3G/UMTS & 2G/GSM European networks. The unit can be left to conduct sequential surveys in a fixed location and automatically saving them. Four types of survey can be performed: a “FULL” survey (4G, 3G and 2G combined), 4G/LTE only, 3G/UMTS only & 2G/GSM only.

 

It can save multiple surveys each with different logging options and all survey results can be downloaded to a PC and displayed in a HTML graphical format to clearly show the logged detail over the survey session. This can identify unreliable base-stations & intermittent cellular service which is not possible with spot surveys. The full breakdown for the HTML summary graphs are displayed in corresponding CSV files (Summary and full detail files). It also incorporates Siretta’s leading liveSCAN feature, which allows you to select a base-station signal immediately after a survey, conduct a liveSCAN logging session which can later be analysed in a CSV logged recording.

 

The SNYPER-LTE Graphyte (EU) is a good tool for understanding local network performance over hours, days and weeks to assist in the selection of reliable mobile network operators before cellular installations.

 

Other Features

  • Enhanced cellular surveying & sequential logging of new and existing installations on 4G, 3G and 2G networks
  • User selectable survey logging options to determine most suitable & reliable mobile operator
  • Evaluate “preferred” MNO’s performance over time
  • Determines “hotspots” & assist with antenna alignment, through Siretta’s liveSCAN feature
  • Results are reported in CSV & graphical HTML format
  • Save over 100 logged surveys with multiple liveSCAN logs

 

This is a specialized product, but I think it would be an interesting product to roadtest. I'm interested in hearing what you think about this product. Thanks.

 

Randall Scasny

RoadTest Program Manager

  • Hi Randall,

     

    This is completely out of my area of knowledge but I'm amazed at how small this test equipment is. As you mention it is specialised equipment but I am sure you will find some suitable candidates to give it proper test and who will treasure it afterwards. It might also be useful to people setting up remote 2G/3G/4G nodes that utilise the local networks (e.g. something bespoke using a SBC and suitable shield) and not just mobile operators/technicians.

     

    Rod

  • Hi Randall,

    An excellent use-case for this would be to determine what network to choose for secondary or even primary connections, using LTE.

    Nowadays there are plenty of businesses (offices, but especially stores) using low-cost connections to their headquarters, since they can get reliability in other ways. They are very open to using mobile. Also, it could be useful for remote sensors reliant on mobile.

     

    Anyway, new businesses expanding rapidly, and pop-up businesses (e.g. festivals, events) want quick connections (set up within hours or days, not weeks). They choose mobile until they can get DSL or a leased line. It's seems super-relevant for their surveys, and presumably the manufacturer being Siretta, also knows a lot about antennas for the actual site connection as well!

  • Dear Randall,

     

    A very interesting device - count me in as being very interested. In Australia, we are a great expanse of country which often has a lot of its area not well covered by mobile signals. The three major carriers (Telstra, Optus and Vodafone) operate on a variety of bands in LTE (01, 03, 05, 07, 28 and 40), but despite this, in many areas (including my house), LTE performance is poor due to congestion, high path losses due to distance and high frequency but also due to competing signals from other stations raising the noise floor.

     

    As a radio amateur and as someone who has suffered from this - I have long been using tools such as Mobile Signal Guru (an app) running on a rooted Android phone with a Qualcomm chipset so I can at least read out information such as the RSRP, SINR, and Cell ID values to know which base station I'm on and if I'm receiving a good signal or better still, carrier aggregation. I spent quite a bit of time on this post on my blog looking at what the local carriers had in terms of frequency/bandwidth/MIMO spatial streams to make some deduction about their relative quality of coverage at my house.

     

    image

    Above is a snapshot of the signal at the office - on Optus, Band 40 indoors. Not a great result. There's another base on Band 07 that might be usable, but its signal strength is poor despite having a better quality ... the phone doesn't choose to roam to it. The biggest issue with using such an app is that a lot of the better features cost a significant amount of money and that its accuracy and performance are in no way guaranteed. In fact, the values that are read can depend heavily on the antenna design of the mobile phone, the orientation in which it is held and the version of baseband firmware that is loaded on the phone. It's also not able to give a snapshot of "all band" and "all mode" performance without a lot of hoops being jumped through (i.e. manually disabling all the bands and enabling one at a time).

     

    While it seems obvious to use the unit in coverage verification tasks (e.g. to address consumer complaints or check a new base station is achieving coverage improvements as expected), having one of these units, depending on its capabilities, should allow for the identification of long term signal trends as well. This is especially important as illegal "dumb" coverage extenders can spew noise into the bands at certain times of the day or oscillate in runaway feedback and reduce quality of service for all. Likewise, changing conditions (traffic, trees blowing in the wind, base station outages) can affect the signals as well.

     

    Looking at the specs from Siretta, the bands supported are:

    LTE / 4G Network support

    • B1 – 2100 MHz

    • B3 – 1800 MHz

    • B7 – 2600 MHz

    • B8 – 900 MHz

    • B20 – 800 MHz

    UMTS / 3G Network support

    • B1 – 2100 MHz

    • B8 – 900 MHz

    GSM / 2G Network support

    • B3 – 1800 MHz

    • B8 – 900 MHz

     

    This matches fairly well with the bands used in Australia - bolded. It does miss out LTE Bands 5, 28 and 40 and UMTS 850Mhz which are also still used in Australia which is a little unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. Unfortunately for the US players, this band plan doesn't work at all, with the US using none of the supported frequencies as far as I can tell. 2G networks have all been switched off in Australia.

     

    Definitely an interesting unit and one I'll be keeping an eye on when (and if) a RoadTest occurs.

     

    - Gough

  • This is just what I was looking for a while ago. Infact I had a discussion with a FAE from Tektronix to see if I could use the RSA306 to measure cell signals. I would be interested to see how this compares with the RSA306 in terms of cell signal measurements.

     

    Kas