Rohde & Schwarz Collaborates with Broadcom on Test Solution for Next-Gen 6-GHz Wi-Fi Devices

December 28, 2021

News

The R&S CMP180 radio communication tester has been successfully validated for Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 6E chipsets. OEMs and ODMs of wireless devices are now able to bring their first next generation 6-GHz products to the market.

Rohde & Schwarz announced the availability of test solutions for the Broadcom® 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E chipsets. In collaboration with Broadcom Inc., Rohde & Schwarz has verified the R&S CMP180 next-generation wireless device test platform. OEMs and ODMs of wireless equipment who integrate Broadcom Wi-Fi 6E chipsets now have access to a test solution for R&D, quality control, and production prototyping.

The IEEE 802.11ax amendment (Wi-Fi 6/6E), operating in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, intends to improve WLAN system efficiency, especially the throughput per station in dense signal environments and outdoor environments. With up to 1.2 GHz of Wi-Fi spectrum available for unlicensed use in the 6-GHz band, Wi-Fi 6E can access up to seven 160-MHz channels to support various bandwidth-driven use cases. 

These technologies pose challenges for test and measurement equipment. For example, the 1024QAM modulation requires signal generation capabilities that transmit reference signals with very low distortion over a bandwidth of up to 160 MHz and the required analysis bandwidth. The R&S CMP180 has been qualified for characterizing Broadcom 6 GHz Wi-Fi chipsets at the RF level for tests such as error vector magnitude, timing measurements, and spectrum emission compliance.

Rohde & Schwarz also provides a Wireless Manufacturing software for Broadcom 6 GHz Wi-Fi chipsets and service solutions to OEMs and ODMs. 

With advanced frequency, bandwidth, and RF capabilities, the R&S CMP180 enables testing of new wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. Additionally, the doubled number of analyzers (2xVSA), generators (2xVSG), and RF ports (2x8) enable simultaneous measurements of technologies and devices in a VSA/VSG single-box tester.

At CES Las Vegas from January 5 to January 8, 2022, Rohde & Schwarz will showcase a Wi-Fi 6E test setup featuring the R&S CMP180 and the BCM4389 Wi-Fi 6E device from Broadcom.

For further information on the R&S CMP180, visit www.rohde-schwarz.com/product/cmp180.