Radio frequency signals run modern networks—but they remain invisible, abstract, and notoriously difficult to interpret in real-world environments. VIAVI Solutions wants to change that.

The company has announced the integration of RF Viewer, a new augmented reality (AR) solution, into its OneAdvisor 800 Wireless test platform. The move signals a broader shift in how RF analysis is performed: away from dense charts and static measurements, and toward intuitive, visual, in-the-field understanding.

Developed in close collaboration with Verizon Wireless, RF Viewer overlays real-time RF signal strength directly onto a live video feed, allowing technicians to “see” RF emissions as they move through physical spaces. For telecom operators, smart building designers, and RF safety teams, the result is faster diagnostics, clearer decision-making, and improved on-site safety.

Making the invisible visible

Traditional RF testing tools require users to interpret spectrum graphs, signal metrics, and numeric readouts—skills that take years to master and are prone to error under time pressure. RF Viewer tackles that problem by translating RF data into a visual AR overlay, showing signal intensity, location, and distribution in real time.

Using a live camera feed, RF Viewer superimposes RF signal strength onto the physical environment, making it immediately clear where emissions are strongest, how they propagate, and where potential issues may exist. What once required educated guesswork now becomes visually obvious.

This approach is particularly valuable in dense RF environments, such as urban deployments, indoor venues, and smart buildings, where reflections, interference, and passive intermodulation (PIM) can degrade performance in hard-to-diagnose ways.

Built with operators, not just for them

VIAVI’s collaboration with Verizon Wireless played a key role in shaping RF Viewer’s design and use cases. According to Vikramjeet Singh, Associate Director of System Performance at Verizon Wireless, the AR-based approach has immediate operational benefits.

“This joint collaboration helps us promptly and efficiently locate PIM sources in a safe and effective manner,” Singh said. “RF Viewer enhances our ability to maintain optimal network performance while ensuring technician safety.”

That focus on safety is notable. RF safety assessments are often time-consuming and conservative by necessity. By visualizing RF exposure levels directly in the environment, RF Viewer can help teams identify high-exposure zones more quickly and plan mitigation strategies with greater confidence.

From expert-only tools to broader usability

While RF engineering has traditionally been the domain of highly specialized professionals, RF Viewer is designed to be accessible beyond expert users. VIAVI highlights a user-friendly interface that supports both seasoned RF engineers and less technical personnel who still need situational awareness of RF conditions.

Key features of RF Viewer include:

• Live AR overlays showing RF signal strength and spatial distribution

• Real-time diagnostics for troubleshooting, optimization, and interference identification

• Intuitive interaction, reducing reliance on complex RF charts and manual interpretation

This democratization of RF insight aligns with a wider industry trend. As networks become more complex—spanning private 5G, IoT, smart buildings, and hybrid indoor-outdoor deployments—organizations need tools that reduce cognitive load and speed up decision cycles.

Strengthening the OneAdvisor 800 platform

RF Viewer is not a standalone product. It extends the capabilities of the VIAVI OneAdvisor 800 Wireless, an all-in-one test platform already used across telecom, enterprise, and public-sector deployments.

The OneAdvisor 800 Wireless combines functions such as:

• Spectrum analysis

• Interference detection

• Transport network validation

• End-to-end performance testing

By adding AR-driven RF visualization, VIAVI is enhancing the platform’s value for field teams who need to diagnose issues quickly without switching between tools or relying on remote experts.

The integration also reinforces OneAdvisor 800’s positioning as networks evolve toward 5G Advanced and early 6G architectures, where higher frequencies, denser deployments, and more complex propagation characteristics increase the difficulty of RF planning and maintenance.

AR meets next-generation networks

The timing of RF Viewer’s launch is not accidental. As operators roll out mid-band and mmWave 5G—and begin laying the groundwork for 6G—the industry is grappling with new RF challenges. Higher frequencies behave differently, with shorter ranges, increased sensitivity to obstacles, and more complex interference patterns.

AR-based tools like RF Viewer offer a glimpse into how network testing may evolve: blending physical context with digital intelligence to create situational awareness that static dashboards cannot match.

Competitors in the test and measurement space have explored AI-driven analytics and automation, but AR remains a relatively untapped interface. VIAVI’s move could pressure rivals to rethink how they present RF data, especially as technician shortages make ease of use a strategic advantage.

Beyond telecom: broader implications

While telecom operators are an obvious audience, RF Viewer’s use cases extend into smart buildings, enterprise wireless, and RF safety compliance. As offices, factories, and public venues deploy private wireless networks and dense IoT infrastructures, understanding RF behavior indoors becomes critical.

For designers and facility managers, being able to visually assess RF coverage and exposure could streamline planning, compliance, and optimization—areas that increasingly overlap with enterprise IT and digital transformation initiatives.

A more human interface for RF intelligence

“RF Viewer bridges the gap between invisible RF data and human perception,” said Ian Langley, Senior Vice President of VIAVI’s Wireless Business Unit. By combining AR with RF analytics, he noted, the company aims to help technicians and engineers make faster, smarter decisions in the field.

That statement captures the broader significance of the launch. As networks grow more complex, the challenge is no longer just collecting data—it’s making that data understandable and actionable in real-world conditions.

With RF Viewer, VIAVI is betting that augmented reality can become a practical interface for network intelligence, not just a futuristic add-on. If adoption follows, AR may soon be as common in RF testing as spectrum analyzers are today.

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