Wireless network design simulation package

A system operable to plan, design, evaluate, and optimize wireless telecommunication networks, the system comprising:

• a database of known network component performance and compatibility specifications;
• a knowledge base defining rules of calculation for a predicted performance of a simulated wireless telecommunications network;
• at least one editor function, communicatively coupled to said database of known network component performance and compatibility specifications, operable to provide an interface with a user for the selection and input of data associated with specific families of network components;
• and
• a simulation engine, communicatively coupled to any said editors and said knowledge base of rules, operable to generate predictive performance data of proposed network links between geographically adjacent network nodes and a representative output, the predictive performance data being calculated by applying rules in said knowledge base to component performance and compatibility specifications provided through said editors.

A method for predicting wireless telecommunication network performance, the method comprising the steps of:

• selecting all components associated with a telecommunications network node, component selection including antenna model and radio model;
• selecting geographical location coordinates for said network nodes;
• designating tower height data associated with a given network node;
• designating environmental considerations data associated with a given network link;
• determining initial configuration settings for selected components;
• deriving predictive performance data for telecommunications network links between geographically adjacent network nodes by compiling data associated with user selections and designations through the application of a predetermined knowledge base of rules.
• generating a simulation output representative of said predictive performance data associated with said network links.