A new category of software-defined instrumentation for wireless test

The past decade has seen an exponential proliferation of wideband radio communication technologies. The drive toward wider bandwidths and increasingly complex modulations presents unique challenges from a test and measurement perspective. At the same time, device manufacturers typically have to contend with decreasing product margins and shrinking test equipment budgets. This trend is going to accelerate with the rapid proliferation of newer Internet of Things, 5G and their unique test requirements. This paper introduces a new category of software-defined, headless wireless signal analyzer. Distinguished by its cost-effectiveness, small form-factor, networkability and enhanced performance specifications, this product enables a range of new test applications that could not be effectively addressed by legacy benchtop, modular and handheld spectrum analyzers. The software-defined aspect enables the user to take advantage of an external host processor such as that in a laptop or desktop. Additionally, software modules for specific modulation formats can be utilized with a common hardware platform. This paper describes key attributes and architecture of the wireless signal analyzer platform and how it differs from conventional benchtop, modular and handheld test equipment.