VIAVI launches CellAdvisor 5G base station analyser

Viavi Solutions has launched the CellAdvisor 5G, a new base station analyser for mobile service providers. The device will help service providers validate and troubleshoot 5G radio access. It has been designed to address 5G TF and 5G new radio (NR) standar­ds requirements. The principal functions and features of Cell­Advi­sor 5G are as follows:

  • Real-time spectrum and interference analysis with persistence display for FR1 and FR2.
  • 5G carrier scanner measuring carrier power up to eight wide-band carriers’ power as well as strongest beam power level and its corresponding identifier (ID).
  • 5G beam analyser assessing individual beams’ IDs, their power levels and corresponding signal to noise ratios.
  • 5G route map for coverage verification mapping, in real time, the physical cell identity and its associated beam ID together with beam strength, as well as making coverage data available for post-processing.
  • Supports massive multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) and carrier aggregation.
  • Supports wider channel bandwidth configurations (5 MHz to 100 MHz in FR1, and 100 MHz to 400 MHz in FR2).

Keysight Technologies unveils new testing solutions

Keysight Technologies has released the PCIe 5.0 test solution. This comprehensive transmitter and receiver testing solution provides the speed and margins needed to meet the Peripheral Com­ponent Interconnect (PCI) Express 5.0 Technology (PCIe Gen5) standard. This solution enables engineers with the tools necessary to achieve the speed and margins required to meet the PCIe 5G standard, with upgradability for future investment protection. The PCI Express 5.0 technology is required for computer servers to support the bandwidth of 400G networks as it is the only significant input/output (I/O) interconnect that has the throughput ne­cessary to support the 400G interface.

The solution also enables the design and validation of circuits capable of tolerating significantly attenuated signals at 32 GT/s. In addition, it utilises aggressive equalisation techniques to help the receiver in restoring the quality of the transmitted signal. This would, in turn, allow error-free recovery of the digital information from the PCIe Tx signal.

Keysight Technologies has also introduced the double data rate (DDR) 5.0 test solution. This solution includes new receiver, transmitter and protocol test solutions. It will enable it to perform all test requirements in the DDR5 design specification.

The complete test solution includes transmit to receiver software along with test fixtures that provide a comprehensive parametric test suite to fully test and characterise DDR5 designs. The new receiver and transmitter test solution also includes high performance M8040A 64 Gbaud High-performance BERT and Infiniium UXR-Series Real-Time Oscilloscope hardware with the lowest noise and jitter floor to allow the most accurate measurement with the highest margins.

R&S unveils its R&S ZNBT40 vector network analyser and R&S NGL200 power supply series

Rohde and Schwarz (R&S) has unveiled the R&S ZNBT40. This is the first vector network analyser (VNA) that has a broad frequency range from 100 kHz to 40 GHz and up to 24 integrated test ports. The multiport architecture of the VNA is advantageous not only for tests on multiport components but also for simultaneous testing of multiple devices under test (DUTs) in production to boost throughput.

The VNA is ideal for measurements on front-end modules, antenna arrays and beamformer chips for 5G NR. It measures up to 24 test ports at the same time, enabling measurements on multiport components as well as simultaneous parallel measurements on multiple DUTs.

The R&S ZNBT is the only multiport VNA that can measure in the frequency spectrum below 300 kHz, making it suitable for specification tests in accordance with standards such as USB-C. In addition, it allows users to perform signal integrity tests to check crosstalk or length offset between lines or to detect faults in cables.

Developers can use it for applications such as measurements on 5G antenna arrays. Manufacturers of active and passive components can use the VNA for a wide variety of multi-antenna communications systems (MIMO, SISO, MISO), including radar systems for the aerospace and defence (A&D) sector.

R&S has also released the R&S NGL200 power supply series. The single-channel R&S NGL201 and the two-channel R&S NGL202 deliver up to 60 W of output power per channel. The output channels are floating, galvanically isolated and protected against overload and short circuits. This power supply series can also sink power in a controlled manner, thereby enabling them to simulate the specific characteristics of a battery. This series also sets new standards with its capacitive touchscreens and large, high resolution displays. The optimised user interface is especially intuitive, and temperature-controlled fans ensure extremely quiet operation. Extensive safety functions safeguard the DUT and the power supply in the event of a fault. The functions of the R&S NGL200 series are as follows:

  • Extremely fast load recovery time: Due to the fast load recovery time of less than 30 seconds and minimal overshoot, this power supply series is ideal for handling load changes from a few µA to the ampere range without voltage drops or overshoots.
  • Operation as source or sink: The linear two-quadrant design of the output stages enables the R&S NGL200 power supplies to operate as a source and sink, with automatic switching from source mode to sink mode.
  • Minimum residual ripple and low noise: This power supply series features a linear regulation to deliver extremely stable output voltages and currents, which makes it suitable for powering sensitive modules and developing power amplifiers and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs).
  • 6½-digit resolution: The R&S NGL200 series comes with up to 6½-digit resolution for voltage, current and power measurements, thereby making it suitable for characterising devices that have low power consumption in standby mode and high current in full-load operation. The entire measuring range is covered without having to switch ranges, which, in turn, speeds up measurements.
  • The R&S NGL200 series provides connectors for sense lines. USB and LAN interfaces are installed as standard for remote control. The R&S NGL-K102 option also adds WLAN support. Digital inputs and outputs are available with the R&S NGL-K103 option, and the R&S NGL-B105 hardware option provides a GPIB (IEEE-488) interface.

NETGEAR announces a new range of products

NETGEAR has expanded its small- to medium-sized business (SMB) offering, with the launch of the new cost-effective IPV6 switching line, advanced wireless access points for its Insight cloud management solution and a streamlined satellite for the Orbi Pro Mesh Wi-Fi family.

The new NETGEAR Smart Managed Pro S350 IPV6-ready series consists of five switch models including 8-, 24- and 48-port gigabit Ethernet switches with two or four small form factor pluggable (SFP) ports for fibre uplinks. The 8- and 24-port models will include Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) variants. These switches have been designed for networks where voice, video and data are carried over a single network. The IPV6 series also offers powerful Layer 2 features, enhanced performance and ease of use. Further, advanced features such as L2/L3/L4 access control lists, quality of service, link aggregation control protocol (LACP) and spanning tree protocol (STP) ensure a high speed and secure network environment for businesses.

NETGEAR’s Orbi Pro Mesh Wi-Fi Ceiling Satellite connects with the Orbi Pro Router or any other Orbi Pro satellite via the patented FastLane3 technology with a wireless backhaul for environments where wiring is a challenge. For covering denser environments, the Orbi Pro Ceiling can also be powered by using Ethernet cables with PoE utilising 4×4 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi. Moreover, the automatic power and channel management bet­w­ee­n satellites enables superior roaming, coverage and performance, making it suitable for large areas.

NETGEAR’s Insight Managed Smart Cloud Tri-band 4×4 Wireless Access Point (WAC540) comes with three separate radios (a single 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHZ channels). In addition, the WAC540 comes with a total throughput of 3 Gbps, broad coverage and commercial-grade security. This access point also provides superior self-managing Wi-Fi with advanced features such as band-steering, beamforming, load balancing, airtime fairness and advanced roaming. Further, the WAC540 can support many Wi-Fi clients for businesses that require maximum Wi-Fi performance and coverage.

NETGEAR’s insight cloud management solutions enable easy device onboarding, intuitive set-up, remote management and full monitoring of the WAC540, the Orbi Pro Ceiling satellite and the entire network. Small businesses will benefit from new Insight core management functions such as:

  • Instant Wi-Fi – Insight using Radio Resource Management (AutoRRM+) would immediately optimise all access points at the location either automatically, on-demand, scheduled or event based for instant Wi-Fi set-up.
  • RADIUS authentication on Insight Switches (Insight Premium subscription only) for enhanced security and privacy.
  • Device backup and restore.

NETGEAR has also launched the WAC124 high performance AC2000 Wi-Fi router, which is the most cost-effective Wi-Fi solution for small business offices as it does not require complicated installation. The router is capable of supporting three separate and secure service set identifiers (SSIDs) over a 4×4 802.11ac Wave2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi. Additionally, it provides maximum coverage with 300 Mbps+1734 Mbps over independent channels by employing external antennas.