Level 12

5G Drive Testing & Benchmarking

Master 5G drive testing and benchmarking end-to-end — drive test fundamentals (types, equipment, route planning), key measurements (SS-RSRP, SS-RSRQ, SS-SINR, CSI-RSRP, CQI, RI, throughput), industry tools (TEMS Investigation/Discovery, NEMO Outdoor/Handy, Accuver XCAL/XCAP, R&S QualiPoc, Actix Analyzer), post-processing and event analysis (handover, RLF, RACH failure, NAS reject), coverage/interference/throughput/mobility analysis, indoor walk testing, automated benchmarking, and professional report writing with actionable recommendations.

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Drive Test Fundamentals

0/9

Learn the fundamentals of 5G drive testing — why operators need drive tests, types of drive tests (cluster, benchmark, SSV, acceptance), equipment setup, route planning methodology, key RF and NR-specific measurements, throughput testing, and hands-on configuration.

What is drive testing and why operators need it

Introduction to drive testing — the process of collecting real-world RF measurements while moving through a network. Why operators invest in drive testing: validate coverage predictions, identify dead zones, benchmark against competitors, acceptance testing for new sites, and regulatory compliance.

lesson3 min

Types of drive tests

Different types of drive tests and when to use each — Cluster Drive Test (validate a group of new/optimized sites), Benchmark Drive Test (compare performance across operators), Single Site Verification (SSV) for new site acceptance, Acceptance Drive Test (formal sign-off with KPI thresholds), and Complaint/Trouble Ticket Drive Test (investigate specific issues).

lesson3 min

Drive test equipment setup

Complete drive test equipment list and setup — RF scanner (for multi-operator passive scanning), test UEs (locked to specific bands/cells), GPS receiver (for accurate positioning), laptop with drive test software, power inverter (12V to AC), mounting brackets, external antennas (for scanner), and data SIM cards. Equipment configuration and calibration best practices.

lesson4 min

Route planning methodology

How to plan an effective drive test route — cover every sector of every site, main roads and secondary roads, known trouble spots, handover boundaries, indoor/outdoor transition zones, consistent speed (30-60 km/h for data, 60-100 km/h for mobility), minimum 3 passes per sector, and time-of-day considerations (busy hour vs off-peak).

lesson3 min

Key RF measurements: RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI, CQI, RI, PMI

Detailed explanation of every RF measurement collected during drive tests — RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power, dBm, good > -100), RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality, dB, good > -10), SINR (Signal-to-Interference+Noise Ratio, dB, good > 10), RSSI (total received power), CQI (Channel Quality Indicator, 0-15), RI (Rank Indicator, MIMO layers), PMI (Precoding Matrix Indicator). Ranges for good/moderate/bad.

lesson4 min

5G NR specific measurements

NR-specific measurements vs LTE — SS-RSRP (measured on SSB, equivalent to LTE RSRP), SS-RSRQ (SSB-based quality), SS-SINR (SSB-based SINR), CSI-RSRP (measured on CSI-RS, beam-specific), CSI-RSRQ, CSI-SINR. Why NR has two measurement types: SSB for cell-level and CSI-RS for beam-level. Beam index (SSB index) tracking during drive tests.

lesson3 min

Throughput testing methodology

How to measure DL and UL throughput during drive tests — iPerf (TCP/UDP, server-client model), FTP download/upload (large file, multiple streams), HTTP download (simulating real browsing), Speedtest (Ookla, FAST.com). Test parameters: number of streams (8-16 for max throughput), TCP window size, test duration (30-60 seconds per point), server placement (local vs cloud). Stationary vs moving throughput tests.

lesson3 min

Lab: Configure a drive test and identify coverage quality

Hands-on lab — configure a simulated drive test setup: select equipment, set measurement parameters, define route on map, run the test, and classify areas as good coverage (RSRP > -100, SINR > 10), moderate (-100 to -110, SINR 0-10), or weak/no coverage (RSRP < -110 or SINR < 0).

lab5 min

Quiz: Drive test fundamentals

Test your understanding of drive test types, equipment, route planning, RF measurements, NR-specific measurements, and throughput testing methodology.

quiz3 min

Drive Test Tools Deep Dive

0/8

Master the industry-standard drive test tools — TEMS Investigation and Discovery for real-time logging and post-processing, NEMO Outdoor and Handy for data collection, Accuver XCAL/XCAP for multi-RAT testing, R&S QualiPoc for automated benchmarking, and Actix Analyzer for post-processing and event correlation.

TEMS Investigation: interface and real-time logging

TEMS Investigation walkthrough — the most widely used drive test tool from Infovista. Interface overview: map panel (GPS track with KPI overlay), data panel (real-time measurements), event panel (handovers, call events), message panel (protocol messages). Layer setup: configuring RSRP, SINR, throughput, PCI layers. Real-time logging configuration for 5G NR and LTE.

lesson4 min

TEMS Discovery: post-processing and analysis

TEMS Discovery for post-processing — importing log files, creating workspaces, generating coverage plots (RSRP, SINR, throughput maps), event analysis (handover success/failure, RLF, RACH), statistics calculation (percentiles, averages, CDFs), comparing multiple log files, and exporting maps and reports. Batch processing for multiple drive test files.

lesson4 min

NEMO Outdoor: real-time data collection

NEMO Outdoor (Keysight/Anite) walkthrough — another major drive test tool. Real-time logging interface: KPI panels, event markers, GPS tracking, message view. Key differentiators: multi-UE support (up to 8 devices), multi-RAT scanning, automated test sequences, drone-based testing support, and Android-based NEMO Handy for walk testing.

lesson4 min

Accuver XCAL/XCAP: multi-RAT testing

Accuver XCAL (data collection) and XCAP (post-processing) overview — popular in Asian markets. Multi-RAT testing (2G/3G/4G/5G NR), Samsung Shannon chipset support, XCAL-M for mobile collection, XCAP for server-side batch processing, custom KPI formulas, and automated report generation. Comparison with TEMS and NEMO.

lesson3 min

R&S QualiPoc and SmartBenchmarker

Rohde & Schwarz QualiPoc — Android-based walk/drive test tool with automated benchmarking capabilities. SmartBenchmarker: unattended automated testing for continuous benchmarking. Features: voice quality (POLQA MOS), video streaming quality (vMOS), web browsing KPIs, app-level testing. P3 benchmarking methodology integration.

lesson3 min

Actix Analyzer: post-processing and correlation

Actix Analyzer for advanced post-processing — importing multi-vendor log files, event correlation across layers (RF, RRC, NAS, IP), KPI waterfall analysis, handover flow visualization, problem zone identification, comparison views (before/after optimization), and integration with planning tools (Actix One, Planet).

lesson3 min

Lab: Analyze a drive test log file

Hands-on lab — given a simulated drive test log file, identify: serving cell PCI at each point, RSRP/SINR coverage quality, handover events (success and failure), throughput measurements, and problem areas. Generate a summary with average RSRP, SINR distribution, and event counts.

lab5 min

Quiz: Drive test tools

Test your knowledge of TEMS, NEMO, XCAL, QualiPoc, and Actix — their key features, use cases, and analysis workflows.

quiz3 min

Drive Test Analysis & Event Identification

0/8

Learn to analyze drive test data like a professional — event analysis (handover, RLF, RACH, NAS), coverage and interference analysis using RSRP/SINR correlation, throughput correlation with RF conditions, mobility analysis, and end-to-end case studies with real-world data patterns.

Event analysis: handover, RLF, RACH failure, NAS reject

How to identify and classify drive test events — Handover Success (normal A3/A5 triggered), Handover Failure (T304 expiry, target cell reject), Radio Link Failure (RLF — T310 expiry, N310 out-of-sync), RACH Failure (preamble power ramp exhausted, contention resolution failure), NAS Reject (registration reject with cause code), Call Drop (RRC release abnormal). Event markers and log correlation.

lesson4 min

Coverage analysis: RSRP/SINR map interpretation

How to read and interpret coverage plots — RSRP color coding (green > -90 dBm, yellow -90 to -105, orange -105 to -115, red < -115), SINR color coding (green > 10 dB, yellow 3-10, orange 0-3, red < 0), identifying weak coverage zones, overshooting cells, coverage holes vs coverage overlap. Statistics: CDF, PDF, percentiles (10th, 50th, 90th RSRP).

lesson4 min

Interference analysis: pilot pollution and co-channel

Diagnosing interference from drive test data — pilot pollution detection (3+ cells with RSRP difference < 6 dB), co-channel interference (high RSRP but low SINR = interference from same-frequency neighbor), adjacent channel interference (leakage from adjacent carrier), external interference (non-cellular sources). RSRP vs SINR scatter plot analysis: high RSRP + low SINR = interference problem.

lesson4 min

Throughput analysis: RF conditions vs throughput correlation

Correlating RF conditions with throughput — SINR vs DL throughput scatter plot (expected curve: SINR 0 dB → 50 Mbps, 10 dB → 200 Mbps, 20 dB → 500 Mbps, 30 dB → 800+ Mbps on 100 MHz n78). Identifying throughput outliers: low throughput despite good SINR (scheduling issue, backhaul, server), high variability (interference, mobility). CQI vs MCS vs throughput correlation analysis.

lesson4 min

Mobility analysis: handover delays and ping-pong

Analyzing mobility from drive test data — handover event timeline (measurement report → HO command → RACH to target → HO complete), measuring handover delay (typically 30-80 ms), detecting ping-pong handover (HO back to source within 5 seconds), missing neighbor detection (RLF followed by re-establishment to different cell), handover boundary analysis (RSRP at HO point), and inter-RAT handover analysis (5G → 4G fallback reasons).

lesson4 min

Real-world: Complete 5G NR cluster drive test analysis

End-to-end case study — a 10-site 5G NR cluster drive test on n78 (3.5 GHz). Walk through the full analysis: coverage assessment (94% area > -110 dBm RSRP), SINR analysis (88% > 0 dB), throughput results (avg 350 Mbps DL), event analysis (3 RLFs, 2 HO failures, 1 RACH failure), root cause identification for each issue, and recommendations (tilt changes, neighbor additions, parameter adjustments).

lesson5 min

Lab: Drive test post-processing and coverage plot generation

Hands-on lab — given raw drive test data, perform complete post-processing: generate RSRP coverage plot, SINR quality plot, throughput map, identify top 5 problem areas, classify events (HO failure, RLF, weak coverage), calculate statistics (average RSRP, SINR 10th percentile, DL throughput median), and write a summary with recommended actions.

lab6 min

Quiz: Drive test analysis

Test your ability to analyze drive test data — event identification, coverage/interference/throughput analysis, and mobility diagnostics.

quiz3 min

Indoor Testing & Benchmarking

0/8

Master indoor walk testing, automated benchmarking, multi-operator comparisons, and professional drive test report writing — floor plan methodology, indoor KPI targets, benchmarking scoring models, crowd-sourced data analysis, and report templates with actionable recommendations.

Indoor walk test methodology

How to perform indoor walk tests — floor plan preparation (mark measurement waypoints every 5-10m), equipment setup (NEMO Handy or QualiPoc on smartphone, external GPS puck for indoor positioning), walking speed (1-2 m/s, steady pace), measurement points (near windows, center of rooms, corridors, elevators, stairwells, basement), floor-by-floor testing, and iBwave for indoor planning validation.

lesson3 min

Indoor KPI targets and acceptance criteria

Indoor coverage acceptance thresholds — RSRP > -105 dBm (95% of measured points), SINR > 5 dB (90% of points), DL throughput > 50 Mbps (median), UL throughput > 10 Mbps (median), latency < 30 ms (avg). Comparison: indoor vs outdoor targets. Special requirements for different building types: office (high capacity), hospital (reliability), warehouse (IoT coverage), stadium (ultra-high capacity).

lesson3 min

Indoor testing tools: NEMO Handy, iBwave, AirMagnet

Tools for indoor testing — NEMO Handy (Android app for walk testing, real-time KPI display, GPS-free indoor positioning using floor plan markers), iBwave (indoor RF planning and measurement visualization, 3D building models), AirMagnet (Wi-Fi + cellular indoor survey). Comparison: when to use each tool. Indoor positioning techniques: floor plan markers, Bluetooth beacons, IMU dead reckoning.

lesson3 min

Benchmarking methodology: multi-operator comparison

How to benchmark 5G performance across operators — simultaneous multi-device testing (same route, same time, different SIMs), standardized test methodology (same test scripts, same servers), scoring model: coverage score (RSRP/SINR distribution), data score (DL/UL throughput, latency), voice score (setup time, MOS, drop rate), video score (initial buffering, resolution, stalling). P3 Communications methodology for national benchmarks.

lesson4 min

Automated and crowd-sourced benchmarking

Modern benchmarking approaches — continuous automated testing with R&S SmartBenchmarker (unattended devices in fixed locations or vehicles, 24/7 monitoring), crowd-sourced data from Ookla Speedtest (billions of tests globally), Tutela/Opensignal/Umlaut methodology (passive measurement from mobile apps), regulatory benchmarking requirements, and how operators use benchmark rankings for marketing.

lesson3 min

Drive test report writing

Professional drive test report structure — Executive Summary (key findings in 1 paragraph), Test Configuration (equipment, route, date/time, weather), Coverage Results (RSRP/SINR maps, statistics tables, CDF plots), Throughput Results (DL/UL maps, averages, peak values), Event Analysis (HO success rate, RLF count, RACH failure count), Problem Areas (location, symptoms, probable cause), Recommendations (specific actions: tilt/azimuth changes, neighbor additions, parameter changes), and Appendix (raw data tables, methodology details).

lesson4 min

Lab: Write a complete drive test report

Capstone lab — given a set of drive test results (coverage maps, throughput data, event logs, statistics), write a professional drive test report with: executive summary, KPI summary table, 3 problem areas with root cause analysis, and specific optimization recommendations with expected KPI improvement for each.

lab6 min

Quiz: Indoor testing & benchmarking

Comprehensive level gate quiz covering indoor walk testing, benchmarking methodology, automated testing, crowd-sourced data, and report writing.

quiz4 min