Spectrum analyser turns to WLAN compliance

Rohde and Schwarz has developed a WLAN application firmware option for its R and S FSL spectrum analyser.

Rohde and Schwarz has developed a WLAN application firmware option for its R and S FSL spectrum analyser.

Featuring an I/Q demodulation bandwidth of 20MHz, a displayed average noise level of -152dBm (1Hz) and a total measurement uncertainty of less then 0.5dB, the R and S FSL is claimed to be unique in its price class.

With the new option, the R and S FSL can now perform all spectrum and modulation measurements on signals in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/j WLAN standards.

The compact, all-purpose analyser thus fulfils the measurement requirements in the production of WLAN instruments.

Whether in computers, PDAs or mobile phones, more and more companies and households are making use of WLAN solutions.

Manufacturers thus require reliable test and measurement equipment for development and production.

The IEEE802.11a/b/g/j WLAN standards have now been defined and allow datarates up to 54Mbit/s.

Signals in accordance with IEEE802.11a/g/j use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), whereas IEEE802.11b/g signals implement complementary code keying (CCK) or packet binary convolutional coding (PBCC).

The high-end R and S FSQ signal analyser with the R and S FSQ K91 option is optimally suited for development applications for all transmitter measurements defined in the IEEE802.11a/b/g/j standards, as well as for additional analysis tasks.

The R and S FSL spectrum analyser including the WLAN option is a cost-efficient instrument with a wide range of features, which makes it ideal for use in production environments.

The R and S FSL-K91 option offers the same range of functions as the R and S FSQ K91 option, including the checking of the spectrum mask with limit lines and the measurement of spectrum flatness and adjacent-channel power.

Furthermore, the spectrum analyser also allows in-depth parameter tests with regard to modulation and error vector magnitude (EVM).

For EVM measurements on OFDM signals, users can define whether the measurements should run against time or against frequency for the analysis of individual carriers.

Moreover, the instrument creates a constellation diagram covering all or individual carriers, determines frequency and phase errors in the preamble, and displays raw data content as well as signal field content.

As usual, the instrument displays the measurement results in a straightforward manner: the burst rise and fall times are shown in detail for analysis.

Additionally, the R and S FSL outputs the times numerically in the result list for the CCK and PBCC methods.

The results for the other parameters such as EVM, frequency and symbol clock error, I/Q error or transmit power are also displayed in this list.

The standard R and S FSL also features a user-friendly 10/100base-T LAN remote-control interface, which provides significant advantages in speed when transferring large data blocks and eliminates the need for an IEC/IEEE bus interface in the controller.

Nevertheless, remote control via an IEC/IEEE bus is possible without any problem.

The R and S FSL is available for applications up to 3 or 6GHz, thus covering the frequency ranges for the IEEE802.11b/g and IEEE802.11a/b/g standards.

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