Evaluation performance between a network node and a radio head

A network node for evaluating performance between the network node and at least one test radio head of a plurality of test radio heads, each one of the plurality of test radio heads being located remotely from the network node and connected to the network node via at least one respective cable, the network node comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network node to:
• send a loopback signal to the at least one test radio head of the plurality of test radio heads to add a loopback of a transmission signal as a received signal for a loopback mode, the loopback including a coupler and a mixer, the coupler to couple a portion of a transmission signal to be switched to the mixer, when in the loopback mode, and the mixer to convert the portion of the transmission signal, at a transmission frequency, to the received signal, at a receive frequency, to be switched to a receive path of the at least one test radio head, the transmission frequency being different than the receive frequency;
• reduce interference on the received signal from the at least one test radio head from uplink transmissions of wireless devices of other test radio heads of the plurality of test radio heads to which the loopback signal is not sent, the received signal transmitted via the at least one respective cable, and wherein the network node includes a combiner that combines the received signal from the at least one test radio head with signals received from other test radio heads of the plurality of test radio heads and that further functions as a splitter to provide transmission signals to be sent from the network node to each test radio head of the plurality of test radio heads;
• send the transmission signal to the at least one test radio head when in the loopback mode;
• receive a received signal from the at least one test radio head;
• and
• determine a performance by comparing the received signal with the transmission signal.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for evaluating performance between a network node and at least one test radio head of a plurality of test radio heads, each one of the plurality of test radio heads being located remotely from the network node and connected to the network node via at least one respective cable, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor of the network node, cause the network node to:

• send a loopback signal to the at least one test radio head of the plurality of test radio heads to add a loopback of a transmission signal as a received signal for a loopback mode, the loopback including a coupler and a mixer, the coupler to couple a portion of a transmission signal to be switched to the mixer, when in the loopback mode, and the mixer to convert the portion of the transmission signal, at a transmission frequency, to the received signal, at a receive frequency, to be switched to a receive path of the at least one test radio head, the transmission frequency being different than the receive frequency;
• reduce interference on the received signal from the at least one test radio head from uplink transmissions of wireless devices of other test radio heads of the plurality of test radio heads to which the loopback signal is not sent, the received signal transmitted via the at least one respective cable, and wherein the network node includes a combiner that combines the received signal from the at least one test radio head with signals received from other test radio heads of the plurality of test radio heads and that further functions as a splitter to provide transmission signals to be sent from the network node to each test radio head of the plurality of test radio heads;
• send the transmission signal to the at least one test radio head;
• receive the received signal from the at least one test radio head when in the loopback mode;
• and
• determine a performance by comparing the received signal with the transmission signal.