RF Signal Monitoring and Analysis System

The following project discusses a method of identifying, gathering, and organizing Radio Frequency (RF) signal data with the help Open of Source Software(OSS). Through configuring and using Software Defined Radios (SDR), a wide RF spectrum can be accessed and analized. Combining this with the programs which can store and identify patterns in the signal gathered in term adds a new layer of monitoring and security to vital part of modern network infrastructure. Consequently, this system would make direct types of RF attacks, like jamming or replay, become easily identifyable and provide better defense to one's network.

Monitoring one or several frequencies can be beneficial to understanding how your devices communicate and the overall activity of your wireless infrastructure. The RF monitoring system described in this project can be comprised anywhere from a single station, or up to an unlimited amount depending on accuracy and area coverage desired. A station or a node is comprised of several elements, a computer configured and pre-set with all the needed software, an internet connection, SDR (HackRF or RTL-SDR), antennas specific to the needed frequency and power supply for all the components.

All stations should be evenly spread out across the whole area that will be monitored. Depending on the devices and protocols used by those devices, the system and its respective nodes could benefit from a closer proximity to each other, especially when the monitored devices have faint signal signature. In our project setup three nodes were established to provide captured signal accuracy and to provide a better general idea of signal location of origin. The nodes of our setup was aligned in a linear pattern with a center and two outer section. The center, concentrated on the monitored device.