Distributing RF signals in an Ethernet network

Abstract

In this paper, a system architecture designed to distribute radio frequency (RF) signals in an Ethernet-based network is proposed. The Ethernet is the physical layer of the White Rabbit (WR) network. The WR network aims to distribute timing signals with sub-nanosecond accuracy. It is based on the IEEE 1588 and Synchronous Ethernet standards to allow rapid deployment for a broad range of applications. The input RF signal is digitally processed to minimize the required network bandwidth necessary to transport it. Simulations are presented in this paper that show how the different system parameters affect amplitude noise and timing jitter in the distributed RF signal.