Date: 21/06/2012

Signal and spectrum analyzer from Rohde & Schwarz for analyzing IEEE 802.11ac signals

Rohde & Schwarz has offered new options for analyzing IEEE 802.11ac WLAN signals by equipping the development labs with T&M equipment. The equipment can be used across the 20/40/80/160 MHz bandwidths defined in the IEEE 802.11ac standard based on the orthogonal frequency division multiplying process. It supports data rates up to 6.9 Gbit/s and 8 MIMO data streams with the help of 256QAM modulation process. So, wireless video transmissions in HD quality may be a reality soon.

The new R&S FSW-K91ac option offers an integrated demodulation bandwidth of 160 MHz, enabling the R&S FSW signal and spectrum analyzer to record and demodulate the full bandwidth of a WLAN signal in line with IEEE 802.11ac. The error vector magnitude (EVM) is an important measure of the modulation quality. The IEEE 802.11ac standard requires an EVM of –32 dB for 256QAM modulation. To measure this parameter, the T&M equipment itself must have a very low EVM, such as the R&S FSW with an EVM of less than –45 dB.

The R&S FSW high-end analyzer allows the developers of components and modules for IEEE 802.11ac to measure the spectrum and analyze the modulation. The 12.1" touchscreen with MultiView permits users to simultaneously view multiple measurements and applications.

Rohde & Schwarz has also improved the functionality of its vector and baseband signal generators to include the IEEE 802.11ac standard. Equipped with the R&S SMx-K86 option, these instruments can generate signals in the defined 20 MHz, 40 MHz and 80 MHz bandwidths. The R&S WinIQSIM2TM simulation software, together with the R&S SMx-K286 option, can also be used to generate signals. The combination of the R&S AFQ100B baseband generator and the R&S SGS RF signal source is suitable for signals with contiguous and non-contiguous 80 MHz + 80 MHz or 160 MHz bandwidths.

Manufacturers and developers can use these generators to test individual chipsets, receivers and wireless devices. This solution is can be used when testing interoperability and hand-over scenarios with other wireless standards. The signal generators simultaneously cover WLAN and all other standards such as GSM/EDGE, 3GPP WCDMA, HSPA, LTE, WiMAXTM and Bluetooth.

The R&S FSW-K91/K91ac options for analyzing WLAN signals in line with IEEE 802.11ac and the R&S FSW B160 bandwidth extension option are now available.

The R&S SMx-K86 and R&S SMx-K286 options for generating WLAN signals in line with IEEE 802.11ac are also available for the R&S SMU200A, R&S SMJ100A, R&S SMATE200A, R&S SMBV100A signal generators and the R&S AMU200A and R&S AFQ100A/B baseband generators.