Anritsu and Bluetest have collaborated their recent product upgrades to create an over-the-air (OTA) measurement solution for verifying radio frequency (RF) performance in tri-frequency bands of the latest wireless local area network (WLAN) standard (IEEE 802.11be). This collaboration provides customers with a WLAN test solution capable of transmit power (TRP) and receive sensitivity (TIS) measurements on IEEE 802.11be supported devices. Measuring the OTA performance in life-like, but repeatable conditions, enables manufacturers of high-speed data transmission devices, including high-end smartphones, augmented reality (AR)/ virtual reality (VR) devices and cloud gaming consoles, to optimise the radio performance and end-user satisfaction.
IEEE 802.11be is being standardised as the successor to IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E) and is targeted to realise high-speed communications that significantly exceed IEEE 802.11ax. The standard is expected to be a fundamental technology supporting the latest applications and services, such as ultra-high resolution video streaming beyond 4K and AR/VR. Although the official release of the standard is scheduled for 2024, product development based on the draft standard is underway, and leading companies have already begun to bring their products to market. IEEE 802.11be adopts innovative technologies such as 320 MHz bandwidth, 4096 QAM modulation and multiple resource unit (RU), and a comprehensive evaluation of RF performance is required.
The Anritsu Wireless Connectivity Test Set MT8862A is dedicated to the WLAN standard, hence optimised for stable and reliable connections with wider dynamic range, even in a faded environment such as in the Bluetest reverberation chamber. It is now updated with a new radio module adding support for 320 MHz bandwidth, in addition to the supported 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands. The test setup is easily expanded to support 2×2 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) measurements using two MT8862A units.
Commenting on the collaboration, Klas Arvidsson, product manager, Bluetest, said, “The combination of Bluetest reverberation chamber test system and Anritsu MT8862A offers a compact and fast solution for evaluating WLAN device performance. Various sizes of chambers, from the very compact, “fits-through-an-office-door”, RTS25 up to the walk-in RTS95 chamber, caters for measurements on small, as well as very large WLAN devices such as television screens or other home appliance. It is even possible to measure wearables while used by a real person.”
Meanwhile, Keita Masuhara, product manager, internet of things (IoT) test solutions division, Anritsu, said, “IEEE 802.11be is not only an extension of the physical layer technology, but also adopts innovative technologies such as multi-link operation, which enables easier comfortable high-speed communication than ever before by efficiently using three frequency bands simultaneously. However, specific performance evaluation is necessary to prevent problems and realise its full potential. Anritsu has worked with Bluetest to provide a valuable solution for OTA RF performance evaluation. We are confident that the new measurement system will contribute to efficient performance testing.”
