Today’s wireless designs are, typically, complex. And to whichever wireless protocol/s a device belongs, there’s a need to coexist with other spectrum users.
So, it’s not enough to test conformance to a specific standard – it’s necessary to validate all intended modes of operation, encompassing the transient and intermittent anomalies that characterise real world rf.
It’s no surprise, then, that the spectrum analysers and vector signal analysers used in the main to test these devices can no longer be regarded as general purpose. An explosion of wireless protocols and transmission techniques to help rf devices resolve interference, maximise power and, in some cases, evade detection – is forcing test vendors to keep pace with advanced features and toolsets. Indeed, toolsets make sense when the needs of your customers are diverse. One size definitely does not fit all.
So what do some of the latest wireless test devices say about what’s happening in wireless communications? One of the latest launches is Agilent’s MXA signal analyser, claimed to be the ‘industry’s fastest’. Niels Faché, product planning manager of Agilent’s signal analysis division, claims it’s a ‘next generation product that redefines the offering in the mid range’. He says Agilent has improved ‘five dimensions of performance’. The first involves the rf and system level specifications of the instruments, second is speed, third is applications breadth – particularly support for emerging communications standards. Fourth in Faché’s selection of performance criteria is the user interface, and lastly he mentions pc connectivity.
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