SMM100A vector signal generator for 5G and WiFi 6E

15th February 2021

Alex Lynn

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Manufacturers of 5G devices wishing to test the whole frequency range possible, expect to do so with a single signal generator for both 5G NR FR1 and FR2 frequencies. The new R&S SMM100A vector signal generator meets this need, displaying RF characteristics across the entire frequency range from 100MHz to 44GHz.

It covers all the bands used by any wireless standards, including LTE and 5G NR, as well as the latest WLAN standards WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E (up to 7.125 GHz). Wireless personal area networks such as Bluetooth are covered, too. The instrument’s maximum RF modulation bandwidth of 1 GHz meets requirements to generate the broadband signals used by devices making full use of the most demanding wireless standard specifications, including IEEE 802.15.4z Ultra-Wideband (HRP-UWB).

The R&S SMM100A offers a maximum output power of +18 dBm, which reduces the need for external amplifiers. Excellent modulation frequency response, error vector magnitude (EVM) and adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) performance result in signal quality for reliable, repeatable test accuracy.

The same wide-ranging potential to meet RF performance requirements from development through to production extends to the extreme flexibility of the option concept. The R&S SMM100A comes with six maximum frequency options from six to 44GHz, and four modulation bandwidth options from 120MHz to 1GHz to meet all major device band requirements. Users can upgrade their instrument’s capabilities according to their need anytime by simply entering a key code.

Both, real time signal generation with an internal baseband generator for one-box signal generation with on-the-spot configuration of signal parameters, and an arbitrary waveform generator (ARB) for waveforms defined with the R&S WinIQSIM2 simulation software are available.

The R&S SMM100A features a large ARB memory depth of up to 2 Gsample and a high maximum sampling rate of 1.2 Gsample/s. For production use, the Multi-Segment Mode speeds up test sequences even more, with fast switching between individual baseband signals.

With the built-in SCPI macro recorder, users can create error-free remote-control programs quickly and easily. Moreover, MATLAB or Python scripts can be executed, which can not only be re-used on an R&S SMM100A, but on most Rohde & Schwarz vector signal generators currently available.