Key takeaways
- A private 5G network can only perform as well as the RF design behind it.
- A site survey measures coverage, the spectrum and difficult areas, and maps them onto the site plan.
- Survey twice: before design and after deployment.
- A smartphone is not a survey tool. It only sees the network it is connected to.
- The Stella Doradus SHARK runs the whole workflow: upload plan, survey, design, report.
What is a private 5G site survey?
A private 5G site survey is a set of measurements of the RF environment across a site, mapped onto the building plan. It shows where 5G signal is strong, weak or missing, what is already in the spectrum, and which areas will be hard to cover. Professional installers use it before installation and after deployment.
Private 5G is increasingly considered for factories, warehouses, campuses, logistics hubs and utilities, anywhere a business needs dependable wireless connectivity. Unlike a public network, a private network is designed around one site. That makes accurate information about the site essential.
Why do private 5G networks need a site survey?
Concrete walls, steel structure and triple glazed windows all affect propagation. A professional signal survey replaces assumptions with measured data.
- Find where 5G signal is strong, weak or unavailable.
- Understand the spectrum and existing cellular environment before repeater installation.
- Map measurements onto the building plan.
- Design the repeater system.
- Generate a professional report in one click.
What should a private 5G survey measure?
A useful survey answers four questions: where coverage is, what is in the spectrum, where the difficult areas are, and what changed after deployment. Confirming that a phone shows a 5G icon isn’t enough.
| Survey question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Where is coverage available? | Shows how signal varies across rooms, floors and work zones. |
| What is in the spectrum? | Shows the RF environment and the signals already present on site. |
| Where are the difficult areas? | Highlights spots affected by shielding, metal or complex layouts. |
| What changed after deployment? | A post-installation survey shows changes in signal strength throughout the building. |
The key measurements per scan are RSRP (signal strength), RSRQ (signal quality), PCI (which cell the signal comes from) and Cell ID.
How do you survey a site for private 5G? (Step by step)
- Prepare the project. Upload the building plan.
- Walk the site and measure. Perform scans across the target area: rooms, production zones, stairwells, loading bays and other key locations.
- Design with confidence. Place repeaters, antennas and cables on the plan for optimal coverage.
- Generate report. Create professional reports in one click.
Can you do a 5G survey with a smartphone?
No. A phone is useful for checking what users experience, but it is not a survey tool. A phone mostly reports the network and cell it is currently using. A professional analyser gives the engineer a wider view of the RF environment and takes systematic, repeatable measurements tied to known locations.
For private 5G planning, this matters. Coverage decisions should rest on repeatable measurements across the whole site, not on a few phone readings taken at random spots.
What tool do you need for a private 5G survey?
You need a professional signal analyser that accurately measures 4G and 5G coverage. The Stella Doradus SHARK is a handheld professional signal analyser built for fast on-site 4G and 5G surveys. It combines spectrum analysis, cellular surveys and project reporting in one workflow.
SHARK survey capabilities
- About 30 seconds per full scan, with no laptop or phone needed (10″ touch screen)
- Spectrum Analyser, Survey, Operator Locator and Walk modes
- Four internal 5G modems, with all operators pre-loaded
- 4G / 5G / Wi-Fi survey heatmaps
- Records RSRP, RSRQ, PCI and SINR per scan
- Survey results and photos sync automatically with StellaControl
- One-click professional reports via StellaPlanner
For private 5G projects, the SHARK analyses the existing cellular environment and records scan results.
What goes into a 5G survey report?
A professional report shows the plan, the measured heatmaps, the scan results at each survey point and a proposed installation plan with a full list of equipment. The SHARK syncs survey data to StellaControl automatically, and StellaPlanner turns it into a professional report in one click.
This gives one record for design, customer approval, commissioning and later troubleshooting. For system integrators, it also makes surveys easier to standardise across engineers and sites.
Survey before you design, and verify after you deploy
Private 5G is about reliable connectivity. The best way to reduce uncertainty is to measure the real environment the network has to work in. Spectrum analysis, fast surveys, floor-plan mapping, cloud sync and one-click reports give integrators a practical workflow from first visit to sign-off.