5th February , 2004

Europe UK : Tektronix, a leading provider of test, measurement and monitoring tools, announced a new software analysis package to speed design and validation of wireless local area network (WLAN) products complying with any of today's prevailing WLAN standards.

WLAN technology is providing users with wireless access to the Internet and email in airports, office buildings and coffee shops. Owing to its inherent convenience capabilities, WLAN technology and services continue to win adopters, and the demand for services is pressuring designers to bring compliant products to market rapidly. Engineers must contend with a host of complex modulation and signal formats in addition to the separate IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g WLAN standards. The new WCA11G signal analysis software package is a comprehensive solution that automates key measurements, interprets erratic or incomplete data, and delivers multi-domain analysis tools for solving complex design problems. The software is now available with the Tektronix WCA330 and WCA380 wireless communications analysers, part of the company's real-time spectrum analyser portfolio.

'The WLAN market is now beyond its infancy, and designers need to move products out the door on a fast-paced, consistent schedule', said Rick King, Vice President, Spectrum Analyser Product Line, Tektronix: 'The new WCA11G package allows engineers to analyse all the 802.11 a, b and g standards with a single tool, dramatically accelerating the measurement and analysis steps that enable tight design laboratory timelines.'

WCA11G software meets unmet requirements for WLAN designers In WLAN design laboratories, data packets with incomplete framing are a common problem that can hamper working on early prototypes of user equipment and system elements. If the packet's preamble is missing, most test instruments will not be able to synchronise with the data and carry out an error-free acquisition. Other test requirements include amplifier linearity measurements, which are a challenge for any tool that cannot easily deconstruct the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals
commonly used in WLAN architecture.

The WCA11G software automatically identifies and sets up for the type of modulation embodied in the signal. The engineer does not need to spend time and effort to configure these modulation characteristics into the real-time spectrum analyser in advance. In addition, the integrated hardware/software solution is capable of working with packets where frame structure is incomplete (or missing the preamble). The solution can interpolate the absent information and synchronise properly with flawed signals. This feature is unique among WLAN solutions available today.

The WCA300/WCA11G pairing also provides tools for making transmitter linearity measurements using the OFDM signal. This feature transforms a difficult measurement step into a simple procedure that yields accurate results quickly.

Home ProZone Subscribe To Newsletter 3G Forum