Rohde & Schwarz and Broadcom Inc. have collaborated to enable the market launch of the next generation of Wi-Fi products. The two companies successfully tested the latest Broadcom® 4x4 Wi-Fi 7 access point chipset with the R&S CMP180 radio communication tester. The R&S CMP180 supports Broadcom’s manufacturing test tools for access point terminals that integrate Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 chipsets in their products, including wireless LAN routers, residential gateways and enterprise access points. This is in addition to the recent announcement of a Rohde & Schwarz test solution for Broadcom® mobile handset Wi-Fi 7 chipsets.
Next-generation Wi-Fi brings new test challenges
Wi-Fi 7 is the next generation of Wi-Fi based on the upcoming IEEE 802.11be standard. With its extremely high throughput and other features, the new technology will enable unparalleled experiences in the home that include high-speed connectivity with low latency for gaming, augmented reality and virtual reality applications for an immersive user experience.
Validation of Wi-Fi 7 access points requires test solutions that support the latest Wi-Fi features such as 320 MHz wide channels, operation in the 6 GHz band, and high-order modulation schemes such as 4096-QAM, while providing the EVM and scalability required for best-in-class performance and reliability. The R&S CMP180 radio communication tester from Rohde & Schwarz is a future-proof non-signaling test solution for wireless equipment that meets these requirements.
The R&S CMP180 supports many cellular and non-cellular technologies including Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and 5G NR FR1 up to 8 GHz with bandwidths of up to 500 MHz. It comes with two analyzers, two generators and two sets of eight RF ports to support 2x2 MIMO testing in a single box. Two R&S CMP180 devices can be combined and scaled up to support four analyzers and generators for efficient testing of 4x4 MIMO access points. Overall, the R&S CMP180 is a cost-effective test solution for advanced wireless technologies that addresses current and future testing needs.
Kevin Narimatsu, associate director of product marketing at Broadcom Inc. said, “We are happy to extend our collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz through which we can bring our Wi-Fi 7 products to the market with the expected high quality and extremely high performance. It enables our customers to unlock the new wireless experience which Wi-Fi 7 is about to bring.”
Christoph Pointner, senior vice president mobile radio testers at Rohde & Schwarz, said, “We are grateful for the close collaboration with Broadcom on the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology. Our experience in wireless device testing and this early cooperation with Wi-Fi 7 chipset and device vendors allow us to provide best-in-class test solutions for our customers.”
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase a Wi-Fi 7 test setup with the R&S CMP180 and a Broadcom Wi-Fi 7 device at the Mobile World Congress 2023 at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona in hall 5, booth 5A80.