Network Mapping Software Tools

The network operator should always strive to plan the network systematically utilizing available
software resources. Two companies in particular, Florida-based RadioSoft and Oregonbased
EDX, specialize in offering mapping software to wireless operators. Both enjoy good
reputations in the industry, and both support their respective products with consultation.
True, both software packages incorporate known engineering formulas that can be abstracted
from standard network design texts, but assembling such information and then attempting to
apply it to the latest radios with the most abstruse advanced modulation schemes is an engineering
exercise that could consume weeks. It is better to utilize the existing automated tools
and improvise only when absolutely necessary.
I particularly recommend the EDX software because it is so comprehensive. EDX Signal-
Pro can factor in distance, blockage, radio sensitivity and selectivity, the use of advanced
modulation such as OFDM and W-CDMA, adaptive modulation, a number of smart antenna
technologies, and antenna polarization. In addition, it can set channel reuse patterns based on
whether channels are defined as frequency divisions only (frequency division duplexing, or
FDD) or as time slots within frequency bands (time division duplexing, or TDD). It can also
profile every uplink and downlink as well as provide global readings for interference within
an entire sector. Furthermore, it can calculate network capacities with various mixes of traffic—
such as best-effort data, voice, multimedia, and so on—and includes three-dimensional
mapping software, which shows building elevations and transmission paths. EDX software is
widely used by the larger wireless carriers, but because of the considerable cost of a complete package—upwards of $50,000—the smaller carriers that probably need the software the most
have been reluctant to use it. One solution for the small operator who cannot bear the expense
of purchasing the software suite initially is to utilize the services of a consultant who owns the
package. Figure 5-2 shows the use of EDX software in Chicago