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X8711A IoT Device Functional Test Solution

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Keysight X8711A IoT Device Functional Test Solution

A New Way To Perform Functional Testing

As an IoT device manufacturer, time and money are the essence of your operation. You must balance cost with quicker test development time to enable faster time to market. The solution you choose at the design and validation stage or manufacturing, to verify the proper functioning of your IoT device’s radio must help you achieve these goals. The X8711A IoT device functional test solution is a cost-effective, over-the-air* signaling test solution that allows you to test your Bluetooth® Low Energy 4.2 and WLAN b/g/n IoT devices* in actual operation mode and in its final form. With this solution, you can:  

  • Complete transmit (Tx) power and receiver (Rx) Packet Error Rate (PER) test in seconds
  • Objectively measure key transmitter and receiver parameters with quantitative measurements, ensuring device quality and performance
  • Simplify test development with a complete test solution that includes hardware, software, support and calibration – all from the same solution provider
  • Easily perform signaling power measurements with measurement suites that include test steps

Challenges Faced by Traditional Solutions  

Golden Radio Method  

The golden radio method, where a known good radio is used to connect to the IoT device, is attractive to many engineers because it is low-cost, easy to set up and doesn’t require a lot of RF experience. However, there are many shortcomings that you may not realize at first glance.  

  1. This method does not provide direct transmit power (Tx power) measurement capability and uses Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) test instead. RSSI test has unknown test conditions, and only provides an indicative value with reference to an unknown initial value that is decided by individual vendors. This means you will not know the true performance of your device-under-test (DUT)’s transmitter.  
  2. The golden radio device likely has limited downlink power adjustment, meaning you will not know how much margin you have in the communication link. It is possible to communicate with the golden radio device and pass the test when the DUT is close to the golden radio during testing, but in real-world conditions, the DUT operates some distance away, and it may only work marginally or fail altogether.  
  3. This method does not provide signaling packet error rate (PER) test or receiver sensitivity test, which are important receiver performance checks.

Non-signaling Method  

Another common method used to test the functionality of an IoT device is the non-signaling method, typically by using parametric one box testers.

  1. This method requires special device firmware, that places the DUT in a special test mode. This adds complexity and additional test steps to your test process and does not test the real operation of the device.  
  2. This method also requires wired connection to the device for firmware flashing and mode control, which requires sending commands to the DUT. This adds an additional layer of complexity to the test setup and may impact RF test results due to additional handling of the device or the introduction of another coupling path.  
  3. Putting your DUT into test mode by connecting physical wires to the DUT, establishing a connection and sending commands may add time to your test.  
  4. This method cannot test devices in their final form and cannot screen out defects caused during final assembly that will impact RF performance.

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