24/7 spectrum awareness | Rohde & Schwarz [Video]

One obvious trend in wireless communications is the dramatic increase of active transmitters. Many of them utilize ever-higher frequency bands. Wi-Fi, for example, which until recently was mostly in the 2.4 GHz range, is now very present in the 5 GHz bands. A large number of short-range (low output power) transmitters fill the air and need to be monitored.

The classic approach of having one major monitoring site for an entire city will no longer work. The changing signal scenario requires appropriate responses. The number of monitoring stations and their equipment’s capabilities must keep pace with the increasing number and capabilities of the transmitters. The consequence is a larger number of monitoring stations for specific, important areas. Obviously, these stations should not be isolated, but rather cooperate and share tasks and resources. Thus, they form an integrated high-density monitoring network.