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new products
station will be available in the third quarter of 2016.
NI Demonstrates mmWave 802.11ad
Wireless Test Technology
NI (Nasdaq: NATI), the provider of platform-based
systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve
the world’s greatest engineering challenges, announced
today a technology preview of its new 802.11ad, or
WiGig, test solution at EDI CON USA 2016. Highlighting
new capabilities in the emerging field of mmWave test,
NI is demonstrating parametric testing of an 802.11ad
radio using its mmWave instrument technology.
This demonstration of a new 802.11ad test solution
is based on NI’s wideband mmWave transceiver
technology used by leading automotive and wireless
infrastructure researchers to prototype advanced radar
and 5G systems. It consists of a vector signal generator
and vector signal analyzer operating at 55 to 68 GHz
with more than 2 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth. This
new technology for 802.11ad testing also complements
NI’s comprehensive product portfolio for wireless test,
including existing solutions testing 802.11a/b/h/j/n/p/
ac/ax, Bluetooth, GSM, UMTS, LTE/LTE-A, FM/RDS,
GNSS and more.
“With proposed 5G bands at 28, 38, and 73 GHz, WiGig
at 60 GHz, and automotive radar at 77 GHz, mmWave
is the next frontier of wideband instrument technology,”
said Jin Bains, vice president of RF R&D at NI. “With
our newest 802.11ad test solution, we are excited to
work alongside leading chipset vendors to develop new
solutions for the next generation of wireless test.”
NI’s mmWave transceiver technology introduces a new
approach to 802.11ad testing that offers customers
an alternative to slow, expensive and low-performing
traditional instruments. To further refine this technology,
NI is working with leading semiconductor vendors as
part of a lead user program.
“802.11ad is a critical addition complementing WiFi
technology, enabling multi-gigabit wireless throughput
for demanding consumer and mobile applications such
as UHD video streaming, as well as enabling high
bandwidth data transmission for wireless infrastructure
including mobile backhaul and wireless access points,”
said Anand Iyer, director of mmWave product marketing
at Broadcom Limited. “NI’s developments in mmWave
test solutions have allowed us to address various testing
challenges like reducing test costs and providing high-
volume manufacturing and over-the-air test capabilities.”
The 802.11ad test solution is a vital part of the NI platform
and ecosystem that engineers can use to build smarter
test systems. These test systems benefit from more
than 600 PXI products ranging from DC to mmWave
and feature high-throughput data movement using PCI
Express Gen 3 bus interfaces and sub-nanosecond
synchronization with integrated timing and triggering.
Engineers can take advantage of the development
productivity of the LabVIEW and TestStand software
environments, along with the out-of-the-box experience
with interactive soft front panels for making basic
measurements and debugging. Supported by a vibrant
ecosystem of partners, add-on IP and applications
engineers, the NI platform helps to significantly lower
the cost of test, reduce time to market and future-proof
testers for tomorrow’s challenging requirements.
To see a demonstration of this new 802.11ad test
solution, visit NI’s booth #313 at EDI CON USA 2016,
or find more information about NI’s RF and wireless
solutions at
www.ni.com/rf.New-Tech Magazine Europe l 81