System targets WLAN verification in design and on site
By Dan Strassberg -- EDN, June 10, 2004
Tools for verifying the proper operation of wireless LANs have mostly targeted the deployment phase, in which developers assume that the system design is sound, despite the fact that many location- and configuration-specific problems can still prevent proper operation. Designers of new WLAN hardware and protocols have been more or less on their own, however; the lack of test equipment intended for design verification and debugging has forced these engineers to assemble setups from general-purpose equipment. Such setups are often bulky, expensive, difficult to make work, and tedious to use, and they often present results that are ambiguous, unrepeatable, or difficult to interpret (Picture).
Less than two years old, VeriWave has taken as its mission the creation and manufacture of test equipment for this challenging application. The company bills its $74,000 WaveTest system as the first true IEEE 802.11 protocol-test system to provide complete conformance testing, the most accurate 802.11 protocol- and timing analysis, and the ability to perform tests at every stage of WLAN development.
The WaveTest system, which comprises Test Points, lightweight PC-controlled units, can operate in a shielded lab environment, in cabled configurations, or in open air. It fully tests WLANs’ function, timing, and spatial features for compliance with the 802.11 standard and is appropriate for use in design, manufacturing, quality assurance, and on-site customer support.
VeriWave, 1-503-473-8350, www.veriwave.com.
