Testbed Implementation for Functional Verification of a Cellular Modem

Abstract

Equipment for testing the 4G and GPS functionality in a cellular modem can be expensive for a small company. This master’s thesis investigates how a simple testbed can be implemented in an affordable way. The investigation concluded that a software defined radio together with open-source software could be used for a low-cost testbed implementation. The proposed solution was implemented and the testing of the system showed that it indeed can be used for functional verification of 4G as the testing is quick, stable, and successfully simulates a realistic scenario. The implemented GPS test is stable and can successfully be used for functional verification, but cannot simulate a realistic worst-case scenario in terms of signal power. The main conclusion is that a software defined radio indeed can be used for simple testing of LTE and GPS functionality in a cellular modem.