Validated for Wi-Fi

Anritsu's MT8860C WLAN Test Set is now validated as part of the overall test system for Wi-Fi CWG (Converged Wireless Group) Certification Testing. The decision taken by the Wi-Fi Alliance means that the MT8860C can be used by any top-tier independent laboratory that has been authorized by the CTIA and Wi-Fi Alliance to perform RF performance evaluation of Wi-Fi Mobile Converged Devices. The testing, which is mandatory for any Wi-Fi mobile converged device for the North American market, provides network operators and handset vendors with a consistent method of evaluating and comparing the RF performance of devices that incorporate both Wi-Fi and cellular technologies.

Testing is performed according to the "Test Plan for RF Performance Evaluation of Wi-Fi® Mobile Converged Devices," as a new firmware version (11.2) has been released for the MT8860C that supports the test methodology defined. The test plan includes a comprehensive set of over-the-air (OTA) measurements that are taken in a 360° environment to create "real-world" conditions. Total Radiated Power (TRP) measurements provide information about the reach of the Wi-Fi signal sent by a converged device, while Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS) measurements indicate how well a converged device is able to detect an incoming Wi-Fi signal.

OTA measurements require specialized test systems. As part of the MT8860C validation process, a joint development program was established between Anritsu and ETS-Lindgren. As part of the program, ETS-Lindgren developed a new MT8860C instrument driver for use with its EMQuestTM EMQ-100 Data Acquisition and Analysis Software. This software not only controls the measurement equipment (MT8860C), but is capable of positioning the antenna relative to the converged device under test and post processing the measurement data to produce the required 2-D and 3-D antenna patterns.

Validation was achieved after the MT8860C had successfully passed a set of acceptance tests defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Based on these tests, the Wi-Fi Alliance concluded that the MT8860C performance is within the required measurement uncertainty for conducted Tx, Rx, and OTA TRP, TIS tests. In addition, the Wi-Fi Alliance was able to confirm that the linearity of the MT8860C is well behaved across all the UNII bands and provides consistent measurement results for 802.11a converged devices.