Wireless testing devices are ready to handle next-gen technologies

Today’s innovative T&M instruments for the wireless communications industry range from those used in the early stages of design and development, to those used in volume manufacturing and in network deployment and service assurance

By Richa Chakravarty

Saturday, June 28, 2014: High speed wireless technologies and the complexity of wireless networks pose challenges for test and measurement (T&M) instrument manufacturers when it comes to offering flexible and customisable devices and test solutions. With the ubiquitous use of cell phones, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), Bluetooth headsets, wireless medical devices, etc, the wireless device market is booming.

The T&M industry has been quick to respond to these new and advanced technologies in the wireless domain. The rapid development of new devices has led to test solutions becoming more flexible and also shifting towards modular platforms. The T&M industry is turning towards a software defined approach to instrumentation, so that solutions can be quickly customised to meet specific application needs and testing can be directly integrated into the design process.

The latest in the market

It is crucial to choose the correct T&M device as this helps wireless operators to maintain quick time to market. Today’s innovative T&M instruments for the wireless communications industry range from those used in the early design and development stages, to those used in volume manufacturing and in network deployment and service assurance. Hence, the products need to provide increased measurement speeds, improved accuracy and exceptional flexibility. Here are some of the latest launches in the market.

Multi-core and parallel test systems: T&M manufacturers are adopting multi-core and parallel test systems to test more with less. There has been increasing integration of Internet connectivity and wireless communications. Launched in January 2014, Agilent’s UXM–E7515A is a highly integrated signalling test device, created for functional and RF design validation in the 4G era. It provides the integrated capabilities that users need to test the newest designs. “UXM can thoroughly test the latest LTE-advanced (LTE: long term evolution) features and easily enhance capabilities, performance and test coverage beyond the current 4G requirements. Design engineers can go deeper into functional testing with UXM’s wide range of network emulator capabilities, including complex handover scenarios and VoLTE support,” says Chaitanya Chakravarty, applications specialist, wireless, Agilent Technologies India.

Single-box, test set solution: In January 2014, Anritsu introduced its upgraded MT8870A universal wireless test set, which is an all-in-one platform, accommodating four test modules. This test set can simultaneously measure different technologies in parallel, helping reduce both measurement times and the line test equipment footprint.

Looking at the high growth in the mobile and smartphone market, manufacturers are today looking for faster testing devices that can help them to manufacture more devices and reduce testing time. The wireless single-box test set solution is used for mass mobile, tablet and data card production testing. These test sets support all wireless/ cellular and short wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS, FM, and audio tests, in a single box. Hence, manufacturers do not need to buy separate testing solutions for cellular and short wireless technologies.

“The MT8870A TRx test module with four RF ports helps simplify test systems. Besides, with support for the 160 MHz wide bandwidth required for testing IEEE 802.11ac, a continuous frequency range from 10 MHz to 6 GHz, and measurement applications for both cellular and non-cellular wireless, the MT8870A TRx test module helps cut down on future investments and production costs,” informs Madhukar Tripathi, senior manager, marketing and channel sales, Anritsu India Pvt Ltd.

Software-defined radio test set: Long term evolution (LTE) introduces new complexity to mobile handsets with its support for 2G and 3G standards. LTE standards also continue to evolve resulting in new features. Responding to these developments, Aeroflex’s 7100 digital radio test set—a software-defined radio architecture—allows users to invest in LTE test equipment that can cater to multiple applications, different technologies and cope with new features introduced by standards bodies. This digital radio test set was first introduced in 2012 and recently upgraded in 2014.

“Aeroflex’s 7100 digital radio test set covers LTE, LTE-advanced, 2G, 3G and CDMA capability as different options. It is also available with different application software to suit different types of users. Its applications include protocol R&D, data throughput testing, RF callbox testing, manufacturing tests, etc,” informs Stephen Hire, general manager, Aeroflex Asia.

Vector signal transceiver: The usage of RF test instruments have increased for field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). At a high level, FPGAs are reprogrammable silicon chips and can be configured to implement custom hardware functionality through software development environments. “The use of FPGAs with RF instruments is not a new concept, however, the ability to provide users a programmable FPGA is new and unique to the NI PXIe-5644R which was launched in February 2014,” informs Satish Mohanram, technical marketing manager, National Instruments India.

The NI PXIe-5646R offers 200 MHz of complex bandwidth via a sample rate of 250 MS/s, which is greater than eight times the data rate for the standard LTE radio frame. This makes the vector signal transceiver ideally suited for the latest design and test techniques such as digital predistortion and envelope tracking.

Interoperability between technologies: T&M manufacturers have understood the importance (and complexity) of ensuring the interoperability of technologies in one device. Hence, players are focusing on single instrument solutions that easily test a device under various RF fading and noise conditions. Spirent Communications launched its CS8 mobile device tester in July 2013. CS8 can perform tests for: data throughput, voice quality, location-based services, and mobility for chipsets and mobile devices that support TDD-LTE. Its ease of use enables device development teams to quickly configure TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE cells. Also, by integrating it with its in-house DatumLab solution, CS8 helps in quantifying device performance in live networks. Spirent’s Nomad HD measurement system even enables voice quality performance analysis, comparing key metrics in both the lab and the field to ensure a good user experience of HD voice services in TDD-LTE networks.

How to choose the right product

Test engineers increasingly require test systems that are flexible enough to support a wide variety of tests. Suggests Chaitanya Chakravarty, “One can opt for either the one-box testers or more number of wireless test sets. The solution-specific instruments simplify the process of checking the performance and behaviour of chipsets and UEs. The one-box approach has proven to be more convenient and time efficient when compared to the hassle of patching together individual instruments and perhaps a PC.”

Users should be able to upgrade wireless testing devices easily, and these also ought to be cost effective over the long run.

Opines Stephen Hire, “Because of the constantly evolving nature of LTE, buyers need to look beyond the initial headline price and consider the total cost of ownership. A low-cost tester that needs to be replaced with a completely new system after a short time may not be a good financial decision. Instead, systems that offer the ability to upgrade over time are usually a better choice.”

A buyer should also check the measurement speed of the wireless communication tester, and its ability to support future technologies.

Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine