Keysight Technologies, Inc. announced two additions to its Signal Studio software suite of signal creation tools. The first is signal generation software for the IEEE 802.15.4g-based Wi-SUN standard. The second is support for LTE/LTE-Advanced uplink (UL) 2 x 2 MIMO with real-time Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ). These new capabilities further ease the signal generation requirements for R&D and manufacturing engineers developing or testing the conformance of devices to the Wi-SUN and LTE/LTE-A standards.

“As a recognized industry leader in electronic measurement, Keysight is actively involved in the development, revision and implementation of emerging standards like Wi-SUN and LTE-Advanced,” said Satish Dhanasekaran, marketing manager of Keysight’s Microwave and Communications Division. “Keysight’s new Signal Studio software capabilities complement our comprehensive portfolio of standards-based signal-generation and analysis solutions, and reaffirms our commitment to providing designers with the world-class solutions they need to move their standards-based designs forward.”

N7610B Signal Studio

Keysight’s new N7610B Signal Studio software generates Wi-SUN signals and supports the MR-FSK and MR-OFDM Wi-SUN modes. A fully coded advanced capability allows the software to easily make receiver conformance tests using Keysight signal generators (e.g., MXG/EXG, PSG/ESG or PXIe). For a more complete R&D and manufacturing solution, the N7610B can be used with Keysight signal analysis tools. Such functionality and flexibility make the N7610B well suited to support the needs of the emerging market for smart utility networks (e.g., smart grid) in Japan and those companies in the U.S. working on Wi-SUN-based solutions and products.

Based on the open global IEEE 802.15.4g-2012 standard, Wi-SUN is intended to advance and enable interoperable and reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wireless utility products for wireless smart utility networks and related applications. The 802.15.4g PHY carries multiple data rates in frequency bands from 450 MHz to 2.4 GHz and operates in three modes: 1) multi-rate multi-regional frequency shift keying (MR-FSK); 2) multi-rate orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MR-OFDM); and 3) multi-rate multi-regional offset quadrature phase shift keying (MR-OQPSK).

N7624B/25B Signal Studio

LTE-A is a leading fourth-generation wireless communications technology defined in release ten and all follow-on releases of the 3GPP LTE standard. In the LTE eNB receiver conformance test section eight of release ten, a MIMO configuration with real-time HARQ capability on two antenna ports is required to test the physical uplink shared channel in transmissions with multipath fading propagation conditions.

Thanks to its support for uplink 2 x 2 MIMO with HARQ, the N7624B/25B Signal Studio for LTE/LTE-Advanced is well-equipped to meet this requirement. With this capability, the N7624B/25B becomes the industry’s first LTE UL 2x2 MIMO with real-time HARQ signal generation solution, and Keysight becomes the sole provider of the industry’s only complete LTE eNB receiver conformance test solution.

The N7624B/25B solution is ideal for base station R&D engineers working on LTE eNB receiver conformance testing to the 3GPP TS 36.141 standard. The software runs on either Keysight’s PXB or X-Series signal generator. With the PXB, the 2x2 MIMO signal is configured directly on the PXB. An internal fader adds the propagation condition. The closed-loop feedback HARQ signal is generated by the eNB and sent to the PXB, where its baseband generator responds in real-time. Two RF signal generators then upconvert the signal for the PXB.

Keysight’s X-Series signal generator with real-time baseband generator provides the same 2x2 MIMO signal generation capability and real-time response to the eNB HARQ signal as the PXB. This is accomplished by using two X-Series signal generators and an external fader.

More information on Keysight’s N7610B and N7624B/25B software is available at www.keysight.com/find/N7610B, www.keysight.com/find/N7624Band www.keysight.com/find/N7625B, respectively. Images of the software are available at www.keysight.com/find/SignalStudioLTE_imagesand www.keysight.com/find/N7610B_images.