SDR Commissioning

Pre-commissioning for Outdoor deployment

For outdoor deployments, we typically have a donor antenna that receives the DL signal from the BTS tower and a server
antenna which transmits the amplified DL signal to the intended coverage area.

For outdoor SDR deployments, the following guidelines are recommended:

1. Both donor and server antennas should have high front to back ratios and very low HPB (half power beam-width)
to achieve the highest isolation between the donor and server antennas.
2. Both donor and server antennas should be pointing 180o from each other and have a sufficient vertical
separation. The required vertical separation depends on the environment where the repeater is deployed and
multiple adjustments might be needed to optimize the system.
3. We recommend performing an isolation test between the donor and server antennas that are being used before
the commissioning process, for all the frequency bands.
4. You should note that the gains of the repeater on a particular band should be at least 20dB below the measured
isolation value.
a. For example, if the measured isolation is 100dB, then the max gain should be 80dB.
5. A typical outdoor deployment is shown below:
Pre-commissioning for Indoor deployment
For indoor deployments, we typically have a donor antenna that receives the DL signal from the BTS tower and a server
antenna which transmits the amplified DL signal to the intended coverage area.

For indoor SDR deployments, the following guidelines are recommended:

1. When donor and server antennas are in close proximity to each other, donor antennas should have high front to
back ratios and very low HPB (half power beam-width) to achieve the highest isolation between the donor and
server antennas.
2. We recommend performing an isolation test between the donor and the nearest server antenna before the
commissioning process, for all the frequency bands.
3. You should note that the gains of the repeater on a particular band should be at least 20dB below the measured
isolation value.
a. For example, if the measured isolation is 100dB, then the max gain should be 80dB.

Commissioning
1. Set your Ethernet device to “Obtain an IP Automatically”
a. Alternatively, you can choose to set your IP address to 192.168.63.2
i. Click the Start button.
ii. Select Control Panel.
iii. View your Internet and network connections.
1. In Windows XP:
a. Click the Network and Internet Connections link.
b. Click the Network Connections link.
2. In Windows Vista/7:
a. Click the Network and Internet link.
b. Click the Network and Sharing Center link.
c. View your network connections.
i. In Vista, click the Manage network connections link.
ii. In 7, click the Change adapter settings link.
iv. Right-click the Local Area Connection icon.
v. From the drop-down list, select Properties.
vi. In Vista, click the Continue button.
vii. Select your Internet protocol.
1. In XP, select Internet Protocol TCP/IP.
2. In Vista/7, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
viii. Click the Properties button.
ix. Select the Use the following IP address: radio button.
x. In the IP address: text box, type 192.168.63.2
xi. In the Subnet mask: text box, type 255.255.255.0
1. In the Gateway: text box, leave blank
2. Verify that the Host/Remote switch has been set to the Host position
3. Connect the RJ-45 crossover cable to the front of the SDR-NMS
4. Launch Internet Explorer or Google Chrome
a. Our Web-GUI is NOT compatible with Mozilla Firefox
5. Input 192.168.63.1 into the address bar of the browser
6. Click on the module that you would like to configure

7. Click on the [Control] tab

8. Under the System section click on the [Factory Setting] button to restore settings back to factory defaults

9. Click [OK] on the popup message box

10. Click on the [Install] tab

11. Once the Install page loads, click on the [Frequency Table] button to reveal the frequency table

12. Input the reference frequency and bandwidth, then click the [Set] button

13. Click on the [Control] tab

14. Under the General Setting section, check the Downlink HPA ON and Uplink HPA ON and click Apply
a. We recommend using AGC only for voice services
b. EVDO and LTE services should be commissioned with AGC off
i. Major fluctuations in gain levels could impact throughput speeds
15. If an isolation test was performed and the isolation value between the donor and server antenna is available,
then manually set the Downlink Gain using the following formula: Downlink Gain = Isolation Value – 20 dB
a. For example, if the measure isolation value is 100 dB, then the Downlink Gain should NOT exceed 80 dB
to avoid oscillation (Downlink Gain = 100 dB – 20 dB = 80 dB)
b. Uplink Gain can be set 3 dB below the Downlink Gain value
i. In this example, the Uplink Gain would be set to 77 dB

16. If isolation value is not available, set Downlink and Uplink gains to the minimum levels and then raise the gains
in 5 dB increments while checking for large fluctuations in the Downlink input levels from the Status page
a. Fluctuation levels will vary based on the technology being used
b. For example, LTE may have fluctuations of up to 7dB, while EVDO and CDMA may only have 3dB
17. Navigate to the Status tab and monitor for large fluctuations in the Downlink Input and Downlink Output levels
a. Fluctuation larger than 7dB should be addressed either decreasing the gain levels or adjusting the
azimuth of the donor antenna to increase the isolation value

18. If any gain adjustments are made, return back to the Status tab and monitor for fluctuations in the Downlink
Input and Output levels
19. Once the system is stable, navigate to the Install tab and run the Installation routine by clicking the Install button
a. The Installation routine will consist of basic system check to ensure that required system settings have
been set
b. If any alarms are present, an popup message stating the issue that needs to be addressed will appear

20. Navigate back to the Status tab and verify that there are no alarms present in the system
a. All alarms tabs should be green

21. Repeat the steps above for any other modules installed in the system