As vendors and their customers face constant pressure on keeping testing costs in line, test companies are always seeking to reduce the amount of time required for testing.
Two test and measurement companies have announced efforts to speed up testing in different areas. Anite said this week its new Fast-OTA feature enables over-the-air device testing to be reduced from about three hours per LTE band using traditional methodologies to about 15 minutes, by reducing verification time for designs during the precertification testing phase that prepares a device to undergo CTIA’s new MIMO OTA test plan. The Propsim Fast-OTA option integrates with system control software from major anechoic chamber manufacturers – including Microwave Vision Group, which has already verified the feature’s functionality. ETS-Lindgren is also integrating the Fast-OTA feature for Anite’s Propsim channel emulators.
Anritsu, meanwhile, is focusing on faster testing for distributed antenna systems and says its new Skybridge tools can cut DAS testing times by as much as 90%. The cloud-based test management system, which integrates with Anritsu’s testing hardware, relies on process automation to simplify and speed up DAS testing as well as reduce errors. Skybridge is said to access files from IBWave designer, Excel or custom test criteria and processes the information to come up with comprehensive test plans. The new version also includes an “EasyTest” feature with single-button instrument control scripts to be generated from a test plan, and the scripts cover tests as well as instrument set-up, file names for traces and limit lines.
In other testing news:
–Viavi is forging ahead with DOCSIS 3.1 testing for deployment in the home, launching a cable television signal analysis meter designed to be used to support residential deployments, which it says is the first installation and service meter to comply with the new standard. The OneExpert CATV signal analysis meter has been used in CableLabs interoperability plugfests for DOCSIS 3.1, according to Viavi, and has an embedded DOCSIS 3.1 modem for service testing up to 1 gigabit per second, as well as a DOCSIS 3.0 version that is software-upgradable to 3.1 if a service provider doesn’t plan to deploy DOCSIS 3.1 soon but still wants to use the signal analysis meter. Viavi said the meter runs automated tests, provides pass/fail results and suggests next steps for troubleshooting.
–Spirent Communications launched a new TestCenter solution for Wi-Fi it touts as providing the “highest-performing and most realistic 802.11 … multiclient emulation scenarios available on the market today.” TestCenter WLAN is said to emulate large numbers of realistic WLAN clients, and can be used for scenarios included verification of personal and enterprise security, baseline throughput testing and latency, and other functional and performance testing for both Wi-Fi access points as well as end-to-end WLAN system testing.
–Anritsu’s service assurance division will serve as the official network monitoring partner for O2 Czech Republic as the carrier integrates IP multimedia subsystem and voice over LTE into its network, continuing the two companies’ relationship for another five years.
Anritsu also launched a new receiver test solution for Thunderbolt peripherals that leverages both its MP1800A series of signal quality analyzers along with calibration and receiver test software developed in partnership with Granite River Labs. The two companies had previously collaborated on automated receiver testing for early PCI Express 4.0 designs for interconnection on motherboards.
–Keysight Technologies is unveiling a new in-circuit tester it says is the first of its kind, citing a smaller footprint and full automation capabilities. The U9403A Mini ICT has a 5U rack-mount instrument form factor and will be available in late March. The product is set to be demonstrated for the first time at the IPC Apex Expo in Las Vegas next week, with Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer robot performing fully automated tests.
–Accedian Networks is providing tiered termination aggregation services for the Hibernia Express, Hibernia Networks’ new transatlantic cable that is said to provide round-trip speeds of less than 59 milliseconds between New York and London. Accedian is monitoring and measuring the performance on the cable system and supporting a tiered service on the cable, which was activated late last year.
–Ixia was part of a demonstration this week with Cumulus Networks and Mellanox to demonstrate 50-gigabit Ethernet interoperability on an open compute-based platform. The Ethernet “G” development has gotten a bit messy, with 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G and 100G all in various development stages for different use cases. Companies including Google, Mellanox, Broadcom and others have formed their own standards group, the 25 Gigabit/50 Gigabit Ethernet Forum, to work on the technologies ahead of or in addition to official IEEE standards – for a primer on the subject, check out this summary from Network Computing.
–Signal Hound released a free software update for its compact signal generators, and is also continuing with its testing basics blog series, delving into channel power and occupied bandwidth.
–GL Communications added new voice testing capabilities to its Message Automation and Protocol Simulation software. The MAPS update is aimed at next-generation triple-play services that may rely on Wi-Fi phones or “4G/5G” phones for voice services, the company said, which are software-based and can be prone to bugs when upgraded.
-The Association for Standardization of Automation and Measuring Systems is looking at telematics standardization. ASAM is scheduled to hold an initial workshop at the end of this month to explore the possibility of working on standardizing two-way vehicle/equipment communications in a cloud environment, with possibilities including telematics security, remote updates and calibration, diagnostics and big data exchange services.
–ETS-Lindgren is expanding its distribution in the Americas with Lace Engenharia, which is based in Brazil. ETS-Lindgren said it selected the company because of its expertise in electromagnetic compatibility, microwave and wireless testing, among others; Lace Engenharia is a full-service provider for the aerospace and automotive sectors. This is ETS-Lindgren’s second recent expansion of distribution in the Americas – it added Testforce in Canada to its distribution network earlier this year.
–Polycom and Genband have completed interoperability testing of their unified communications solution for Department of Defense communications and are waiting for final certification by the Joint Interoperability Test Command. The solution combines Genband application servers and Polycom voice and video offerings for deployment on military bases to replace legacy communications systems.
