Wireless and RF test equipment and systems are strong
growth segments in the test
and measurement (T&M)
industry. But for wireless
designers and production
professionals, it's still a work in progress.
T&M equipment companies do a good
job of staying on top of demand. Still, they
face mounting pressures to produce even
more accurate and faster systems.
Here's a look at 10 factors that keep wireless T&M vendors on their toes to meet
today's testing demands.
Evolviong Standards
All wireless
systems are based on standards provided
by international bodies, as well as industry
consortia. And every one of those standards is perpetually updated and revised.
Take the latest cell-phone standards.
The cdma2000 standard developed by
Qualcomm undergoes upgrades all the
time to provide faster data services. The
EV-DO version is now morphing into what is
called Rev. A, which provides even faster
downlink and uplink rates. But don't look
now—Rev. B and C aren't far behind.
The ITU/3GPP 3G standard based on
WCDMA is moving toward its higher datarate systems, HSDPA/HSUPA. These
require new test systems that meet the
new standards. However, they do provide
backward-compatible test facility for the
still widely used 2G standards like
GSM/GPRS/EDGE.
Other wireless standards like Wi-Fi also
face continuous change. The new 802.11n
standard with MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) is creating a whole new class of
testing systems for certification. Other
standards force the T&M guys to constantly upgrade to stay current as well.
New Standards
You'd think we had
enough standards to cover almost any new
wireless application. But that's not how
the industry thinks. With so many standards to address, the T&M industry must be thrilled at the need. Think about all of
the wireless stuff that must be tested
based on existing standards like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, RFID, near-field communications
(NFC), and a mix of industrial-scientificmedical (ISM) band radios, not to mention
more than a few proprietary systems.
And what about new radio technologies,
such as those involved in testing HD, XM,
and Sirius satellite radios? Then, even
newer standards come along to push the
innovation of new equipment and systems
that can test them, such as the new
Wibree and WirelessHD.
Higher Frequencies
Test instruments are here to test upper-microwave
products, but the frontier is expanding.
UWB is moving from its below-5-GHz spectrum to the upper limits, where more
space is available and there's less interference with other services. The WirelessHD
standard works at 60 GHz. WiMAX and a
few other services are pushing into higher
frequencies. With chip geometries falling
from 90 nm to 65 nm, and then to 45 nm,
that trend will continue.
Faster Data Rates
Wireless services
just get faster and faster. Wi-Fi will jump
from its current maximum of 54 Mbits/s to
near 300-Mbit/s range with the forthcoming 802.11n standard. Bluetooth will eventually move to a maximum of 480 Mbits/s
as it adopts the UWB WiMedia standard. In
addition, there's no holding back cellphone data rates as they ramp up with 3G
speeds from 2 Mbits/s to near 20 Mbits/s.
Some of the newer home networking technologies offer speed in excess of 1 Gbit/s.
Noise And EMC
Noise is the bane of
all wireless. But as we reach higher frequencies, smaller IC geometries, and
weaker signals, noise inside the instrument becomes a limiting factor. The push
is on to solve traditional thermal noise
problems, reduce digitizer noise, improve spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR), and
deal more effectively with jitter.
Furthermore, the regulatory requirements for electromagnetic compatibility
(EMC) continue to occupy the time of the
wireless design and test engineer. Test
equipment and systems that facilitate
electromagnetic-interference (EMI) testing
are mandatory in today's environment.