A level measuring instrument is provided, including a microwave integrated circuit in a form of a radar system on chip with several transmission channels, each configured to generate a high-frequency transmission signal, and one or more receiving channels, each configured to receive reflected signals from a product surface; a noise level reduction device configured to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of a received signal, which relates to the reflected signals from the product surface, by averaging results of several measurements carried out in succession in time; and/or a signal level increasing device configured to combine two of the several transmission channels to produce a combined transmission signal with increased power and/or to combine two of the receiving channels to produce a combined reception signal with increased power. A method for measuring a level of a medium in a container or a surface topology of the medium is also provided.