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RF Network Design Considerations and Stages

Published Date
Author Cadence PCB Solutions

Key Takeaways

  • For wireless RF systems, RF waves are artificially created to oscillate at various chosen frequencies depending on the application.

  • Most RF modules are based on PCBs with transmitter circuits, receiver circuits, antennas, and a serial interface to communicate with the host processor.

  • RF network design should present a complete, efficient, and reliable RF network for implementation.

RF network

RF networks are used in applications such as radio, TV broadcast stations, cellphones, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, WiFi, and satellite communication

Wireless networks play a key role in distributing computing and communication systems. These systems revolutionized the fundamentals of telecommunications and data networking systems and allowed the integration of networks.

Among wireless networks, RF networks are extensively used in applications such as radio, TV broadcast stations, cellphones, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, WiFi, and satellite communications. RF networks utilize the electromagnetic spectrum from 3kHz to 300GHz and cover both high-frequency and low-frequency bands. While planning an RF network design, it is critical to give due importance to coverage, speed, and user experience. In this article, we will discuss RF wireless technology, RF modules, and RF network design. 

RF Wireless Technology

RF stands for radio frequency signals that range from 3kHz to 300GHz on the electromagnetic spectrum. The wavelength and frequency of the RF signals share an inverse relationship. The RF signals propagate at the speed of light and require no medium for transmission.

Fun fact: Natural sources of RF signals include solar flares, lightning, and stars.

For wireless RF systems, RF waves are artificially created to oscillate at various chosen frequencies depending on the application. Data is transmitted over the RF signals with air as a propagating medium. The RF networks or modules are designed for transmitting and receiving RF signals. 

RF Modules

RF modules are essential for establishing wireless communication with the help of transmitter and receiver antennas. Most RF modules are based on PCBs with transmitter circuits, receiver circuits, antennas, and a serial interface for communicating with the host processor. The types of RF modules are:

  1. Transmitter module - The transmitter module transmits and modules the radio wave. There is a baseband section and RF section in the transmitter circuit. The baseband section of the transmitter aims at achieving a specified power to transmit, whereas the RF section focuses on transmitting the modulated signal without interference from transceivers operating on adjacent channels.

  2. Receiver module - The RF receiver receives the signal transmitter by the transmitter module and demodulates it. The receiver module baseband section ensures the recovery of the signal, whereas the RF section rejects the interference from undesired channels. 

  3. Transceiver module - The transceiver module brings the transmitter and receiver into a single circuit. 

  4. System on Chip (SoC) module - The SoC module is the same as the RF transceiver module, but with an onboard microcontroller. 

RF Network Design Considerations

RF networks are planned and designed according to the system or application requirements. The RF network design should present a complete, efficient, and reliable RF network for implementation. The quality of the connectivity or coverage can be enhanced by properly planning the RF network design. A good RF network design offers improved speeds, reliability, coverage, user experience, and low latency.

The key parameters that are focused on the RF network design are:

  • Coverage: The estimate of the coverage area is an important parameter, as it influences the planning for the physical environment, obstacles, antenna gain, power levels, etc. 

  • Performance: The performance of the RF network can be accentuated if the design takes into account the wireless environment. The selection of the frequency spectrum and bandwidth can be improved with knowledge of the free space and congestion in the wireless site. 

  • Capacity: The capacity of the RF network is one of the major factors that optimize a design. The planning of the RF network capacity is dependent on the count of connected devices, their types, and capabilities. 

RF Network Design Stages

RF network design stages can be classified into different phases:

  1. Preparations - Basic data collection and analysis are carried out. Design criteria are set in this phase. 

  2. RF environment analysis - The site survey, field measurements, and path loss calculations are determined. The site survey plan and region clustering are made at this stage. 

  3. Coverage design - Includes outdoor or indoor coverage design, link budget analysis, base station design, and site coverage simulation. 

  4. Parameter design - Takes into consideration the pilot assignment and paging capacity. 

  5. Dimensioning - The final phase of the RF network design is network dimensioning. 

The planning and design of RF networks influence the performance, coverage, and capacity of the network significantly. Proper RF network design is necessary to obtain the best coverage, speed, and user experience. Cadence offers design and analysis tools that help designers with their RF and microwave network designs.

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