Rohde & Schwarz presents the first ETSI standard compliant solution for certification testing in the 2.4 GHz band

Rohde & Schwarz will showcase the new R&S TS8997 test system – the first solution for standard compliant certification tests – at the EMV 2013 international trade fair in Stuttgart.

Diverse radio services such as WLAN and Bluetooth as well as radio remote controls and wireless devices share the 2.4 GHz band, which is unlicensed and being more and more widely utilized. Since radio channels interfere with each other to an increasing extent, the ETSI EN 300 328 standard has been revised. Existing scenarios have been modified, and special tests for verifying improved coexistence behavior have been introduced. On December 31, 2014, the standard will become mandatory for all devices using this frequency band and being sold in the European Union.

The new R&S TS8997 test system from Rohde & Schwarz is the first solution on the market that can perform certification tests in line with the new ETSI EN 300 328 V1.8.1 standard for wireless devices in the 2.4 GHz band. During development and certification, device manufacturers and test houses can now verify whether new products meet the upcoming certification requirements.

Version V1.8.1 of the ETSI standard specifies a special type of power measurement. Thanks to the test system’s four antenna ports and integrated R&S OSP switching module, the R&S TS8997 can perform this measurement fully time-synchronized and in compliance with the standard on up to four channels, allowing it to characterize devices with MIMO and beamforming capability. Via menu control, the user first selects the radio technology implemented in the device under test. The R&S EMC32 software, which is a standard solution in EMC test labs, guides the user through the individual test cases, which are run fully automatically. The test system saves all samples taken and subsequently evaluates them. No alternative commercial solution for this type of power measurement has been available until now.

The test system meets the requirements of the ETSI standard. This is due, among other things, to the system’s high sampling rate greater than 1 Msample/s with a measurement time of up to 32 seconds. A long measurement time is necessary in order to carry out a wideband measurement covering the entire scope of the signal and determine various parameters such as output power, average power and peak power. Power measurement and measured-value recording are controlled by a shared trigger, allowing the reliable determination of the total transmit power.

In addition, the R&S EMC32 basic software includes several upgrade options, making the test system ready for the future. Other Rohde & Schwarz equipment can be used with the test system if required. The system also supports measurements in the 5 GHz band in line with ETSI EN 301 893 V1.7.1. This is especially beneficial to manufacturers of WLAN devices that support both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz band in line with IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n.

The R&S TS8997 test system for certification testing in line with the ETSI EN 300 328 V1.8.1 standard is now available from Rohde & Schwarz.