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December 3, 2025: 5G SA Wi-Fi Access

5G introduces new network architectural concepts for Wi-Fi integration with the 5G standalone mobile core (5G SA). The simplified diagram…

December 3, 2025: The 7SIGNAL Impact Report: Quantifying the True Cost of Poor Wi-Fi Performance

Wi-Fi performance isn’t binary—it’s not just “up” or “down.” Most of the time, the network is technically online, but users…

December 3, 2025: Marvel Rivals Server Locations: Season 5

Marvel Rivals has taken the team-based shooter genre by storm, and with the arrival of Season 5, its popularity shows…

December 3, 2025: Guardians of the Wi-Fi: Cisco Field Manual for Securing Wireless

Wireless networks are the lifeblood of the modern workplace. They enable new levels of productivity and business growth, while offering…

December 3, 2025: DNSFilter Data Reveals Major Threat Vector as Students Bypass School Security Controls

Students’ attempts to access restricted content using unsafe proxy services expose them and their schools to cyber risks WASHINGTON, D.C.…

December 3, 2025: NETGEAR Introduces the Nighthawk 5G M7 Hotspot with New Mobile App and eSIM Marketplace to Enable Fast Portable Portable Connectivity on the go

November 17, 2025, San Jose, Calif. – NETGEAR® Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR), a global leader in intelligent networking solutions designed to…

December 3, 2025: Enhancing Remote Work Security with Easy-to-Use Client VPN

Remote working, or telecommuting, allows employees to work outside a traditional office. This approach, often conducted from home, is gaining…

December 3, 2025: Zyxel Networks’ USG FLEX 50HP Firewall secures Taiwan Excellence Award, honored for innovation in security

Anaheim, California, November 27, 2025 – Zyxel Networks, a leader in delivering secure and AI-powered cloud networking solutions, today announced…

December 3, 2025: Calculus Partners with Aprecomm to Bring Next Generation AI-Powered Network Intelligence to ISPs Throughout MEA, Asia, and Latam

Calculus will offer Aprecomm’s award-winning software solutions—including Wi-Fi optimization and support automation tools—to its expanding base of ISP customers in…

December 3, 2025: 3 for 3: UWB, The Latest Enhancements

UWB is advancing with the 4ab amendment, bringing meaningful improvements in reliability, speed, and scalability. Unlike other wireless technologies focused…

Wi-Fi news from LitePoint

December 3, 2025
[Blog]

3 for 3: UWB, The Latest Enhancements

UWB is advancing with the 4ab amendment, bringing meaningful improvements in reliability, speed, and scalability. Unlike other wireless technologies focused on high data rates, UWB excels in real-time positioning and secure access. With growing adoption in mobile and automotive devices, the technology is evolving. Our video series, 3 for 3, provides 3 answers for 3 pressing questions about trends in wireless test. In our latest video, LitePoint’s Adam Smith dives into the latest enhancements in Ultra Wideband, or UWB, technology.

Watch video here

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October 14, 2025
[Blog]

From Concept to Compliance: Wireless Testing Evolves Across the Medical Device Lifecycle

From Bluetooth-enabled glucose monitors to Wi-Fi-equipped imaging systems, connected wireless medical devices are playing a more prominent role in home and healthcare settings by ensuring critical health data is transmitted securely, reliably and in real time. The ability to shuttle data to and from the cloud is a game-changing convenience for patients and clinicians. But the process of embedding wireless features introduces a new layer of design and manufacturing complexity for medical device makers that must meet operating specifications, regulatory requirements and user expectations – every time.

 

 

Given the scope of wireless connectivity options, a comprehensive test program is a must-have component of any medical device product development toolkit. Far from a single event, test is a multi-stage process that evolves across each phase of design and production. When incorporated strategically into the development cycle, wireless testing provides more than validation – it becomes a competitive advantage that ensures product reliability, accelerates time-to-market and reduces long-term costs.

LitePoint has built its reputation delivering leading-edge test solutions across industries ranging from consumer smartphones to automotive and industrial IoT. By applying our expertise to medical device design, we help customers make the right technology choices, guide them through each test stage and future-proof test setups for decades-long product lifecycles.

Selecting the Right Wireless Technology

Medical device companies are experts in clinical function, but adding wireless components can introduce new challenges. Their priority is accurate diagnostics, safe operation and regulatory compliance. Given the wide array of cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other communications options, outfitting devices with wireless capability requires careful deliberation.

 

 

Often, the first step when adding a wireless feature is choosing a compatible chipset or module supplier. For high-volume consumer electronics companies, vendor selection is often a clear choice given the deep partnerships they may have with wireless module or chipset providers and their manufacturing partners. Medical device makers may lack the same level of insight into the wireless ecosystem.

This is where LitePoint adds value even before design begins. Our close work with wireless chipset makers across industries means we understand which

  • chipsets have robust test tools versus those requiring external solutions.
  • modules or SoCs deliver easier integration with medical form factors.
  • platforms offer better long-term support and lower testing overhead.

By acting as a consultant at this early stage, LitePoint helps medical device companies avoid downstream surprises and build a foundation for reliable wireless performance.

R&D: Characterizing Device Performance

Once a design direction is chosen, R&D teams move into prototyping. Here, wireless testing is highly exploratory.

Calibration & Characterization: Engineers test single devices, often using hardwired setups, to measure fundamental parameters such as transmit power, EVM, frequency accuracy, receiver sensitivity and more.

Antenna Validation: Typically requires over-the-air (OTA) tests to characterize the performance of the antenna.

Debugging & Optimization: Results inform early design changes before hardware decisions are locked in.

The characterization stage requires a meticulous understanding of the OTA test environment, including accurate link budget calculations, optimal component selection – from the cable to antennas to choice of chamber – and precise calibration. LitePoint’s experts advise strategies to prioritize test parameters, structure test environments and identify early measurements that save time downstream. This emphasis on visibility helps to unearth problems in early-stage product development.

Design Verification: Regression Testing for Repeatability

Regression testing ensures performance is consistent, both under ideal conditions and across operating ranges. For medical devices, this is critical as regulators and healthcare providers expect reliable performance regardless of interference, distance or use case.

Once prototypes stabilize, teams transition to DVT, or design verification testing. Now, the focus shifts from exploration to repeatability. This entails running the same test cases across multiple frequency bands and power levels and stress testing hardware under variable conditions.

 

IQfact+ Software

 

This is where automation becomes essential. Manually repeating hundreds of test cases is impractical. LitePoint’s automation software allows teams to accelerate regression testing, process large datasets and uncover inconsistencies in performance before validation.

Quality Assurance: Testing Under Real-World Conditions

Even the best lab results must hold up in the real world. Before transitioning to manufacturing, devices undergo quality assurance or output quality check testing. Unlike earlier phases, these tests combine clinical use with wireless connectivity:

  • A Bluetooth blood pressure monitor must transmit to a smartphone without dropouts.
  • A glucose patch must sync with a cloud app, even while performing clinical functions.
  • A wearable ECG must stream data in environments with background Wi-Fi traffic.

 

This stage blends user experience testing with RF validation. LitePoint helps medical device makers recreate realistic scenarios inside controlled environments, capturing RF metrics while applications are running.

Manufacturing: Scaling Test Without Sacrificing Quality

When products move into high-volume manufacturing, the goals shift again to guarantee testing scales on pace with production, that a high percentage of devices pass first-time tests and that test costs are managed to protect product sales margins.

Unlike R&D and DVT, manufacturing test environments often deal with packaged devices where direct RF connections aren’t possible. Over-the-air testing, chambers and multi-device setups become critical.

LitePoint specializes in multi-device manufacturing test solutions that optimize throughput without compromising accuracy. By leveraging multiple integrated vector signal generators and analyzers, combined with proprietary automation, LitePoint helps customers reduce idle test time, improve yield and lower cost per unit.

Future-Proofing Test Beds

Unlike most consumer electronics, medical devices have long lifecycles. Once approved by regulators, manufacturers prefer to maintain test setups for years without disruption. Any change risks new compliance hurdles.

At the same time, wireless standards are constantly evolving. Bluetooth, for example, has already graduated from version 4.0 to 6.0. Wi-Fi 6 is giving way to Wi-Fi 7 and soon Wi-Fi 8. Medical device makers must plan for these shifts even if today’s device uses an older standard.

LitePoint helps customers future-proof their test investments by delivering platforms that support multiple wireless generations, ensuring software updates keep pace with new standards and providing long-term service and support to extend the life of test setups.

Test as a Strategic Advantage

Medical device manufacturers should avoid treating wireless testing as a late-stage checklist item. As this lifecycle analysis shows, testing evolves from vendor selection to R&D characterization, verification, quality assurance, manufacturing and long-term sustainability. When approached strategically, test is not just another compliance step. It’s a competitive advantage for reliably connecting life-enhancing medical instruments, reducing time to market, optimizing yield and manufacturing costs, and protecting investments against evolving standards.

LitePoint is uniquely positioned to guide medical device makers through this journey. With deep expertise across wireless technologies and proven partnerships with chipset vendors, we act as both a test provider and a consultant helping customers succeed before the cradle of design and beyond high-volume manufacturing.

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September 30, 2025
[Blog]

Latest Trends in Open RAN Radio Reinforce Value of Test

With wireless connectivity evolving at breakneck speed, I recently had an opportunity to hit the pause button and take stock of 5G open radio access network (O-RAN) technology and what the future holds for O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) testing.

In my musings, I was joined by RCR Wireless News magazine editor-in-chief, Sean Kinney, who led a panel discussion on the evolution of O-RAN open innovation. Sean set the stage with a reminder that O-RAN is a movement founded by wireless operators seeking to diversify suppliers, increase flexibility, reduce costs and effectively “break apart” the RAN to expand its reach and appeal. In the past several years, that’s led to the release of more than 100 specifications covering everything from interfaces to platform orchestration.

O-RAN Trends to Watch

More recently, the O-RAN Alliance – and the industry at large – has championed cloud-based radio access as a means to conserve energy and enhance spectral efficiency. The ability to tie into the cloud is also spurring efforts to leverage AI to support shared O-RAN compute resources and edge-based services.

With 6G on the horizon, O-RAN is evolving beyond enhanced mobile broadband. Features like “mini-slot” scheduling allow for unencumbered data movement, because data no longer has to wait for the entire time slot to elapse before transmission can begin. This is important for time-sensitive technology like ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) in applications ranging from industrial automation to autonomous vehicles.

 

 

2025 is also shaping up to be a busy year on the integration front. O-RU designs are moving away from bulky FPGAs toward system-on-chip solutions as a means to significantly reduce power consumption and lower BOM costs. The bar is high in terms of cost cutting, but the goal is to make O-RUs as cost-effective as enterprise access points, which is critical for O-RAN to thrive in a competitive marketplace.

Interoperability Testing Ensures O-RAN Adoption at Scale

These exciting radio initiatives have a common trait: they depend heavily on smarter testing and integration. The O-RAN community has spent years promoting O-RU interoperability, for example, but it’s time to move past paper conformance and lean into real-world feedback to better manage vendor test strategies.

At LitePoint, RU testing is no longer just about verifying boxes on a checklist – it’s value is best appreciated when validating performance under pressure. For years, we focused on meeting front-haul and 3GPP conformance requirements, but now, with real carrier deployments underway, network operators are pushing testing into four key areas:

  • Real-world scenarios that simulate traffic slicing, bursty data and mixed-service types
  • Stress testing with full-bandwidth utilization, high modulation rates and peak-to-average power challenges to push the front-end modules to their limit.
  • Multi-vendor compatibility that ensures radios adapt seamlessly to different distributed units.
  • Proprietary features unique to specific carrier deployments.

MIMO Migrates to Parallel Antenna Testing 

Another area ripe for innovation is MIMO antenna testing. Traditional antenna-by-antenna (or chain-by-chain) testing offers only a narrow view of performance by focusing mainly on power measurements. More complete MIMO testing reveals how an entire system performs under real-world conditions.

A case in point is error vector magnitude (EVM) – a key metric that quantifies the difference between an ideal transmitted signal and the actual received signal. In real-world tests, MIMO measurements can uncover performance degradation that single-chain tests completely miss. Problems like crosstalk, PCB layout errors, front-end module limitations and potential issues with power supply bypass capacitors are uncovered only when multiple antennas operate in parallel, as they would in live deployments.

By measuring all chains simultaneously, parallel MIMO antenna chain testing can reduce costs by doubling test throughput and unit-per-hour test rates. As manufacturers prepare for large-scale production, MIMO testing is becoming the gold standard, not just for performance validation but for enabling scalable, cost-effective manufacturing.

Automation Is the Key to Scale

Automation is where O-RAN testing gets truly exciting. One of the beautiful things about O-RAN is the ability to take advantage of the M-plane, or fronthaul interface, that physically connects the O-RU and the distributed unit (O-DU).

 

Thanks to the O-RAN M-plane interface, we can now create a relatively generic automation framework that allows any vendor to simply drop in their specific M-plane XML file for the radio control. This makes it easy to automate radio testing from different vendors to validate performance, optimize through calibration and quickly scale to high-volume manufacturing.

O-RAN Reality Check

Despite the gloomy headlines about O-RAN’s commercial struggles, innovation hasn’t stopped. If anything, the push for lower costs, better interoperability and smarter test solutions is accelerating. The ecosystem remains vibrant, but success will depend on whether we can keep driving performance up and costs down while ensuring reliability in every real-world deployment.

To that end, every step of O-RAN radio development – from raw silicon to finished goods – relies on product-level testing. Isolated testing of RUs is no longer only practical; it’s the only way to capture and optimize key performance metrics while identifying failures early. As someone who’s deeply invested in RU testing, I can say this: the work we’re doing today is laying the groundwork for O-RAN’s next big leap.

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September 1, 2025
[Blog]

Wireless Medical Electronics Testing Trade-offs: Chip-on-Board vs. Modules

Medical devices are increasingly wireless, supporting patient care, monitoring and diagnostics through technologies like 4G LTE/5G cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth®. When defining their products, medical companies invariably encounter a key integration option: should they embed wireless functions using a proprietary chip-on-board (CoB) design or rely on a pre-certified module from a third-party provider? The decision can directly influence product development costs and timelines, regulatory testing loads and final product performance.

This foundational design decision is becoming more important as the medical community strives to meet demand for wearable monitors and diagnostic devices and expands use cases for in-home remote health management and rural locales where hospital access may be difficult. The differences between these approaches have a direct bearing on how manufacturers design, certify and test their devices as they prepare them for volume manufacturing. And as demand grows, many medical companies find that their “make vs. buy” decisions are informed by the degree to which they have access to in-house RF engineering expertise.

Balancing Flexibility and Simplicity During Product Development

For space-constrained or highly customized devices, chip-on-board affords designers tighter control over integration and device operation. This enables more flexibility when it comes to product form factor and performance features. However, CoB also requires significant RF engineering knowledge; it depends on close – and often time-intensive – collaboration with chipset vendors, and demands extensive debug cycles during development.

Source: Ezurio

Modules simplify the path to integration. These off-the-shelf components are pre-tested and pre-certified, reducing the burden on device manufacturers. They enable faster development cycles and are often preferable for medical companies that prioritize clinical function over RF customization. The trade-off is cost – modules are typically more expensive – but they reduce engineering time, complexity and risk.

A common hybrid approach involves combining both: for instance, using a 5G module due to regulatory complexity and CoB for Wi-Fi to save space or cost.

How Manufacturing Affects Test Time and Scalability

Testing is critical in wireless device production. CoB designs require more comprehensive RF test coverage, including direct chipset control and access to factory test modes. While this enables extensive validation, it also increases test time and demands more from manufacturing teams.

 

Modules, on the other hand, have limited access to internal test modes. Testing is often conducted through AT (attention) commands with reduced test coverage. This results in shorter test times and easier scalability for high-volume production.

Both approaches scale similarly in terms of physical factory setup; it’s test throughput per unit that differs. LitePoint supports both scenarios with test automation solutions and multi-device testing platforms that optimizes units-per-hour (UPH) even with expanded test coverage.

Juggling the Variabilities of Compliance and Final Product Testing

CoB-based designs place the full regulatory burden on the OEM, including FCC wireless compliance in the United States and international certifications such as EU-mandated conformity assessment (CE) testing. This includes emissions, coexistence and RF exposure tests. Modules alleviate much of this by offering pre-certification, especially for complex technologies like 5G, which operate in licensed spectrum.

However, assuming a module requires no further testing is a common mistake. Even pre-certified modules must undergo final product validation, as antenna placement, housing materials and PCB layout can affect wireless performance. LitePoint emphasizes the need for end-to-end testing, ensuring the assembled product performs to specification – especially for mission-critical medical applications.

 

Each wireless protocol – Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 5G – has unique test cases. Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth Classic, for example, differ in respect to the modulation scheme, limits on frequency deviation, sensitivity, etc. When products support multiple radios, coexistence testing is essential to ensure technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth operating at 2.4 GHz do not interfere with each other.

Why LitePoint is the Right Test Partner

LitePoint’s value extends beyond test equipment. We provide the RF expertise, support and turnkey automation that medical OEMs need, in addition to the industry’s largest installed base of more than 350 wireless chipsets. For companies unfamiliar with RF or constrained by timelines, LitePoint’s controlled test environment offers:

  • Out-of-the-box automation software tailored for chipsets and modules
  • Test coverage for several wireless technologies including but not limited to 4G/5G, Wi-Fi 6/6E/7, Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy
  • Scalable solutions, including over-the-air and multi-device testing
  • Testing that extends beyond Pass/Fail to deliver insights on transmit quality analysis
  • Industry-leading customer support that shortens debug and validation cycle

LitePoint enables medical device companies to focus on clinical performance while ensuring wireless quality and compliance. Whether choosing CoB, module integration or a mix of both, LitePoint simplifies testing and accelerates time to market by delivering faster testing speeds to expedite production throughput and reduces test errors to improve yields.

The choice between chip-on-board and modules in medical electronics isn’t binary. It depends on form factor, engineering bandwidth, time-to-market goals and regulatory obligations. What is consistent, however, is the need for reliable, robust, flexible and scalable testing.

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July 22, 2025
[Blog]

3 for 3: 5G RedCap and eRedCap in the IoT Landscape

As 5G networks expand, connecting a wider variety of devices is becoming essential. Our video series, 3 for 3, provides 3 answers for 3 pressing questions about trends in wireless test. In today’s video, LitePoint’s Khushboo Kalyani focuses on a critical evolution in the world of 5G that’s set to transform the Internet of Things: 5G Reduced Capability, known as RedCap, and its evolution, eRedCap. Kalyani discusses what 5G RedCap and eRedCap are, where they fit in the IoT landscape, and their primary use cases.

 

WATCH VIDEO HERE

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July 9, 2025
[Blog]

In the Innovation Race, Automotive Makers Must Embrace Wireless Test Integration

Wireless connectivity has become a pillar of modern vehicle design. But as OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers integrate more consumer-grade wireless technology into their vehicle platforms, they are faced with the same set of challenges confronting many electronics producers: how to create and manage efficient, repeatable, scalable and cost-effective testing procedures from the early stages of R&D through high-volume manufacturing.

The primary focus of automotive design teams is to enable innovation. However, without adequate test protocols at key points along the design chain, test engineering runs the risk of lagging behind, which can affect product quality, time to market and the user experience.

Wireless Connectivity Is in the DNA of Automotive Design 

As a mainstay for enhancing safety, convenience and the overall driving experience, the most prevalent wireless connectivity technologies include Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi and cellular networks that enable functions like hands-free calling, real-time navigation, over-the-air (OTA) software updates and remote diagnostics. These advancements have transformed vehicles into connected hubs, meeting consumer expectations for seamless digital integration.

 

The global market for automotive connectivity is projected to grow from $33.4 billion in 2024 to $190.3 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent. This growth underscores the increasing demand for vehicles equipped with advanced connectivity features.

Looking ahead, wireless connectivity is poised to enable more sophisticated applications in future vehicle models. These include support for autonomous driving technologies as well as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, which allows cars to interact with each other and with infrastructure to improve traffic flow and safety. As these innovations become more prevalent, the role of robust and reliable in-vehicle wireless connectivity will only become more critical.

In-Vehicle Wireless Design: A Fragmented Ecosystem 

Within the automotive design ecosystem, the different subsystems in the car will have different needs. The requirements for secure keyless entry are not the same as infotainment or embedded telematic control units (TCUs) that wirelessly connects the vehicle to the cloud.

Different wireless applications exist on their own using different technologies for connectivity, each with unique test needs. The consequence is clear: a one-size-fits-all approach to automotive testing is fraught with risk due to the number and diversity of wireless integration vectors.

Wireless Weaves a Tapestry of Innovation

Wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular networks were initially developed for consumer applications — smartphones, laptops, smart home devices — where rapid innovation, large production volumes and price competition have driven fast iteration and falling costs. When these same technologies are integrated into vehicles, the test and deployment landscape changes dramatically.

 

Automotive environments are far more demanding. OEMs in this space are risk-averse and often late adopters of new technologies, prioritizing safety, security and long-term reliability over cutting-edge features. Unlike consumer devices, which may be replaced every two to three years, automotive systems must function flawlessly over much longer product lifecycles and under harsher operating conditions. This means more rigorous test requirements — especially in RF performance, environmental durability and functional safety.

Let’s look at the key points and test challenges for several of the most important technologies:

  • Wi-Fi is widely used in vehicles for infotainment systems, enabling media streaming, OTA updates and real-time diagnostics. In-vehicle Wi-Fi testing poses unique challenges. Dense RF environments filled with Bluetooth, cellular and even radar signals can cause interference. Coexistence testing is critical to ensure robust, uninterrupted connectivity. With Wi-Fi 7 introducing technologies like 4096-QAM and Multi-Link Operation, the test complexity increases further due to tighter Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) requirements and the need to validate operation across multiple frequency bands.

 

  • Bluetooth has evolved from a convenience feature to a core connectivity technology for hands-free calling and voice control, in-cabin device syncing and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). New capabilities like Bluetooth channel sounding enhance secure access by precisely measuring proximity, which is crucial for digital keys and anti-theft systems. But testing Bluetooth in automotive applications demands attention to low-latency performance, interoperability with various mobile devices, and challenging antenna design constraints exacerbated by the vehicle’s limited space.

 

  • Digital keyless entry often combines ultra-wideband (UWB), Bluetooth and near field communication (NFC) to enable secure, seamless vehicle access. Testing must account for complex factors like precise location accuracy (to avoid relay attacks), secure cryptographic protocols and sensitivity to physical placement and interference. NFC’s short range makes testing particularly sensitive to repeatability and precision in real-world conditions.

 

  • Cellular connectivity via 4G, and increasingly 5G, is the backbone for telematics, emergency services and vehicle-to-cloud functions. Automotive test strategies must account for whether connected modules are pre-certified or chip-on-board, with the latter requiring significantly more complex and expensive RF validation.

 

Overall, while consumer adoption helps reduce the cost of wireless components, automotive applications demand far more robust and specialized test strategies to meet the industry’s stringent requirements for safety, reliability and performance.

Why Car Makers Need a Wireless Test Partner

Unlike the consumer electronics industry, cost-sensitive and risk-averse automotive manufacturers are slower to invest in leading-edge wireless testbeds. As a result, some OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers rely on outdated methods due to limited internal RF test knowledge.

To close the gap, a wireless test partner such as LitePoint can simplify wireless test for labs and factories and provide the capability to test the latest wireless products with innovative test methodologies.

As a trusted wireless test company, LitePoint provides high-quality, efficient and reliable test solutions. LitePoint is also the only test company to cover all three critical technologies in the Car Connected Consortium (CCC) digital key 3.0 specification – UWB, Bluetooth and NFC.

Driving Performance with Trusted Test Partnerships

As vehicles incorporate more software-defined technologies, wireless testing is no longer optional; it’s a strategic imperative.

With turnkey systems for both R&D and high-volume production, LitePoint enables automotive customers to implement scalable test processes that align with design complexity and compliance requirements. LitePoint brings deep domain expertise, strong chipset vendor relationships and leading-edge test automation. By standardizing and simplifying wireless test across design and production workflows, LitePoint helps automotive manufacturers close the gap between wireless ambition and real-world performance.

Connected vehicles require wireless systems that just work. LitePoint helps ensure they do.

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June 11, 2025
[Blog]

3 for 3: Understanding Fixed Wireless Access

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) provides a unique solution to enable high-speed connectivity. Our video series, 3 for 3, provides 3 answers for 3 pressing questions about trends in wireless test. In this video, LitePoint’s Adam Smith dives into some characteristics of Fixed Wireless deployments, and test considerations for FWA CPEs.

Video on this page

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May 28, 2025
[Blog]

Wi-Fi 7 Emphasizes Need for RF Parametric Performance and Rate Adaptation

Wi-Fi 7 adoption is forecast to expand rapidly, with raw speed taking a back seat to network reliability and low latency. At the same time, the latest generation of Wi-Fi requires a more sophisticated radio architecture to enable applications such as online gaming, video conferencing and over-the-top (OTT) media that streams internet content without cable or satellite connections.

 

 

Consumers may take the enhanced performance of Wi-Fi 7 for granted, but behind the scenes we know that these advances come at the expense of additional radio complexity. Put simply, the more features we add to the physical layer, the more intricate the RF design becomes to consistently deliver the expected performance across diverse deployment scenarios.

A good example is preamble puncturing, a technique that improves spectral efficiency by allowing the system to transmit data on clean portions of a wide channel while avoiding interfered subcarriers or Resource Units (RUs). It’s important to note that preamble puncturing involves specific puncturing patterns, and these different patterns can lead to different spectral mask requirements that the transmitter must meet. This adds a layer of complexity to testing.

Separately, multi-link operation (MLO) allows devices to transmit and receive across multiple frequency bands simultaneously, for instance, using both 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz to achieve higher throughput or redundancy. The interplay of these features, particularly the various band combinations of MLO and the pattern-dependent spectral characteristics of preamble puncturing, necessitates rigorous analysis and validation of how RF performance impacts overall system performance.

The following use cases illustrate the need for an optimized test and measurement regimen for quick and cost-effective Wi-Fi 7 deployment.

Use Case I: Wi-Fi Device Performance Relies on RF Parametric Performance

For the end customer, there are three things that matter most: range, speed and reliability. These features hinge on the RF parametric, which is the backbone of superior Wi-Fi performance and includes Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) and the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) index.

Even a minor change in the RF parametric can significantly affect performance. Imagine that a Wi-Fi device is operating at the maximum MCS index of 13, which translates to a modulation scheme of 4096 QAM at 320MHz. Let’s say we have two spatial streams that theoretically will yield throughput of approximately 5Gb/s – 6Gb/s. Poor EVM performance could force the device to move to the next-lower MCS scheme, which is MCS 11 (1024 QAM). The penalty of carrying fewer bits per symbol could result in a 20 percent drop in throughput, which would compromise real-world device performance.

Another RF parametric, uplink OFDMA, enables multiple devices to simultaneously transmit traffic to the access point, which reduces latency by enhancing spectrum usage and network performance. That requires tight pre-coordination and pre-correction of three essential physical layer features – power, timing and frequency – between the access point and end devices that include smartphones, tablets and laptops.

 

 

When several devices, or stations, connect to an access point, each at a separate distance, the station closest to the access point must balance its power or risk weakening the signals coming from the other stations. From a timing perspective, once a trigger frame is received by the station or client devices, they initiate an uplink OFDMA transmission. These transmissions must be sent within 400 nanoseconds of each other to ensure seamless operation. The third feature, frequency, requires each station to pre-compensate or correct for the carrier frequency-offset of the signal that they receive from the access point. If any residual CFO error after compensation is greater than 350 Hz, it will likely result in inter-carrier interference degrading the quality and success of UL-OFDMA transmission.

Poor performance among any of these physical layer parametrics could lead to a network collision and reduced efficiency. And aside from uplink OFDMA, Wi-Fi does not have a specific scheduling algorithm, which makes it crucial for high-density and multi-user environments to work in harmony.

Use Case II: Device Rate Vs. Range

Rate adaptation, or adaptive modulation, is a device behavior that changes according to signal strength and the range between the station and the access point. A device close to an access point transmits at the highest MCS rate of 13. If conditions change due to noise, or if the device moves away from the access point, then it will try to retransmit or step down to the lower MCS modulation scheme and attempt multiple packet retransmissions. Without rate adaptation, the resulting signal congestion can degrade system throughput, performance and reliability and needlessly drain the device battery.

There are many physical layer parametrics that can cause such behavior, including poor EVM and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. This requires evaluation and measurement at the physical layer to determine EVM performance for each transmission, transmission power, the correct MCS scheme and the distance and transmission timing intervals between the access point and the stations.

Analyzing Bluetooth Coexistence with LitePoint IQsniffer

It’s important to measure and analyze coexistence performance given that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® share the 2.4GHz spectrum. Any interference caused by transmit-power leakage, co-channel or adjacent channel noise, or unpredictable frequency hopping patterns can result in packet collisions and data loss.

This speaks to the need for a visual tool that identifies power transmission levels, EVM and what type of Bluetooth packet is in use, whether it’s classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy or a proprietary Bluetooth protocol that’s impacting Wi-Fi device performance.

 

 

The solution is a radio traffic sniffer that can capture and analyze the physical layer and the MAC layer. The sniffer captures the real-world signal exchanges between devices and physical layer parametrics like power, EVM, frequency error and the MCS index to distinguish with nanosecond-level accuracy which device is transmitting the right information. This is especially useful for analyzing and validating uplink OFDMA to determine if the frame gap and timing are correct.

Until they reach economies of scale, every new generation of technology starts out with higher costs. This is especially true for consumer wireless device manufacturers and chipset suppliers that have already made heavy capital expenditures in Wi-Fi deployments. Tools like the LitePoint IQsniffer provide an accessible, scalable and cost-effective means for analyzing both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth packets and capturing the communication between devices to better managing Wi-Fi performance, cost and complexity.

My presentation, “Translating RF Performance to Real-World Results in Wi-Fi 7” is available on-demand, as part of a Wi-Fi Forum hosted by RCR Wireless News.

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May 14, 2025
[Blog]

What Med-Tech Manufacturers Need to Know About Testing Wireless Medical Devices

Wireless connectivity defines the user experience for much of the technology we rely on every day, whether we’re logging into work from a home office, sharing content from our favorite streaming platform or swiping our phones at the grocery checkout line. The healthcare industry is no different and each year spends billions on wireless medical devices that perform essential clinical functions such as patient monitoring, infusion and diagnosis.

 

The medical field is conservative by nature. Nevertheless, it has excelled at designing wireless solutions to meet a range of use cases, from neonatal vital signs monitoring to a growing geriatric population in need of wearable and implantable devices. The outcomes are remarkable in their ability to improve the quality of patient care. However, embedding Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi components to accurately track glucose levels or securely transmit real-time patient health data to a nursing station is a complex task that requires core wireless engineering expertise that device makers may not possess.

This lack of know-how can create a blind spot in which med-tech companies may inadvertently neglect to adequately test their wireless devices as they graduate from a concept in the lab to the volume production line. The oversight can lead to device under-performance in which patients may experience poor connections and delays in clinical notifications. In the worst cases, devices may fail, which for manufacturers can trigger product recalls, compliance violations and an erosion of customer trust.

With adoption rates rising, the wireless technology landscape is increasingly complicated to manage as it moves from discrete and comparatively simplistic electronic components to highly integrated modules housing multiple wireless protocols such as 5G cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® Low Energy.

Khushboo Kalyani is a LitePoint Product Manager responsible for wireless connectivity and cellular test systems. She addressed a series of questions that medical device manufacturers should be asking as they prepare test beds for their wireless products.

Which wireless technology is best suited to my product?

Khushboo: The choice depends on how much data needs to be transferred, how swiftly and over what distance. Medical devices carrying large data volumes that require reliable, always-on connections may be better suited to Wi-Fi. These include insulin pumps and devices for monitoring blood pressure and heart rate. Others, like blood glucose monitors and pulse oximeters, transmit small amounts of data just a few times a day and may be better candidates for Bluetooth.

 

Cost is another important consideration, with Bluetooth modules generally adding less to bill of materials budgets than Wi-Fi or cellular modules. Designers should also familiarize themselves with compliance and regulatory requirements that may influence their connectivity decisions.

What are the different stages of wireless test and how do they differ?

Khushboo: During R&D and design verification testing, the focus typically is on validating fundamental RF parameters. These include power output, receive sensitivity and Error Vector Magnitude across different frequency bands of operation.

During quality and assurance testing, the focus shifts to the user experience. This includes validating performance across real-world use cases and conducting co-existence and over-the-air (OTA) interference testing to determine if the product will perform well in the field. It’s important to test full parametric performance and not just rely on go/no go tests that only indicate if the device is functional.

Production testing requires an optimum balance of quality and cost economics. That means checking the device’s bare minimum functional performance and then testing multiple devices simultaneously to reduce the cost of test and expedite time to market.

There are two common denominators that cut across these different test stages. The first is hardware test equipment that is capable of scaling from lab to manufacturing. The second is a user-friendly yet advanced automated software tool that reduces RF testing overhead to minimize test-suite development and design and execution times.

What is the best way to comprehensively test wireless performance?

 

Khushboo: As you progress through the product development cycle, what you test and the way you test will vary. When designing a product from scratch, for example, it’s important to measure the performance of the RF transceiver in isolation to ensure it meets design specifications. Once the device is validated, it must be tested in its entirety. Real-world scenario testing entails attaching the device antenna and casing to ensure the final hardware and software are not impacting wireless performance.

Can testing help ensure patient data accuracy?

Khushboo: Hospitals and home environments can be crowded RF spaces, with multiple devices operating at similar frequencies. Interference can lead to dropped signals, corrupt data or incomplete transmissions. Even a small percentage of lost or distorted data can undermine the reliability of clinical decisions.

Interference testing that measures device sensitivity, Packet Error Rate (PER) and Bit Error Rate (BER) can indicate how often transmissions are corrupted under different conditions. Some throughput tests can also identify design flaws by measuring data transfer rates between devices on a wireless network.

Should I use an off-the-shelf RF module or design-in a chipset technology?

Khushboo: When you buy off the shelf, you typically don’t have access to the wireless chipset and controls for testing. That means you need to use the command provided by the module vendor, write your own software or rely on a test vendor like LitePoint, which has a test methodology set-up to quickly validate performance.

The choice is contingent on two factors:

  • Time to market: Off-the-shelf modules can be expensive but often reduce development time, as they come pre-certified and pre-calibrated. Generally, that eliminates time spent working with regulatory labs for compliance testing. On the other hand, commissioning a chipset design means working extensively with the chipset supplier to ensure seamless integration into your product. This can be a complicated, time-consuming process that adds overhead to the design process.
  • Form factor: Chipset-based designs offer better control over the end-device form factor by accommodating smaller, compact designs compared to off-the-shelf modules.

Whether you design your chipset or buy an off-the-shelf module, LitePoint provides automation software through the IQfact+ tool that supports the gamut of chipset-specific test packages and can be used out of the box.

Are there additional test considerations when I move into high-volume device production?

Khushboo: Many medical devices sell in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of units, so the ability to scale testing is an important step for accurately determining device yield. Just as importantly, designers want to make sure they aren’t incorrectly failing good units and/or passing bad units. An inaccurate test is as harmful as no test at all.

How can device makers better manage test costs?

Khushboo: If manufacturing volumes are high and test costs are rising, you should consider a cost-of-test analysis, which includes single-test and multi-test options. This can help manufacturers reduce costs and expedite time to market by determining how much time it takes to test one device as a percentage of overall capital equipment costs compared to how long it takes to test multiple devices in parallel.

What would you like medical device manufacturers to remember on their development journey?

Khushboo: It’s clear that the healthcare community is committed to discovering and delivering wireless device technology to improve patient outcomes. LitePoint has helped hundreds of customers successfully launch wireless products over more than 25 years by adapting a combination of hardware and software test automation tools to a range of applications. If there is one word of advice I can share, it’s that accurate, repeatable, scalable testing is a key step in achieving that highest level of care.

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April 17, 2025
[Blog]

IQxel-MX High Performance Wi-Fi Test System

For Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn), Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax)

 

Industry-First Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) and Leading Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E Test Solution

Modern applications demand determinism and robustness, beyond just high throughput. The next-generation Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) builds upon Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be), introducing features for enhanced reliability and lower latency. Wireless devices like Access Points, VR/AR headsets and IoT devices require robust RF performance in challenging environments. This is achieved through enhanced modulation and coding schemes (MCS), distributed resource units (dRU), unequal modulation, and long-length LDPC codes for improved error correction, alongside existing Wi-Fi 7 features like tri-band operation (2.4/5/6 GHz), 320 MHz channels, 4096 QAM, up to 16 spatial streams, and multi-link operation (MLO). With the addition of Wi-Fi 8 support, LitePoint’s IQxel-MX solidifies its position as a long-standing dependable test solution you can trust for your critical testing needs.

Stay ahead of the curve with IQxel-MX as you advance your Wi-Fi 8 research and development and accelerate your high-volume production of today’s Wi-Fi 7 devices

The IQxel-MX signal generation and analysis combine high performance, simplicity of use and superior test economics to cover the test requirements during the whole product development cycle from R&D to high-volume production. The IQxel-MX family is available in three configurations: 2 ports (2 VSA/VSG), 8 ports (2 VSA/VSG), and 16 ports (4 VSA/VSG). These support up to 2×2 and 4×4 true MIMO testing (extensible for higher order MIMO) and high efficiency multi-DUT parallel testing.

Performance to Guarantee the Highest Wireless Device Accuracy

  • Industry-leading EVM ensures highest modulation accuracy
  • Superior power accuracy ensures device calibration precision
  • Expandable architecture supports high order true MIMO testing
  • Support for advanced Wi-Fi 8 physical layer features

Simplicity for Increased Test Efficiency

  • Fully-integrated signal generation, signal analysis, and RF front-end enable simple Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8 testing in the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands
  • Architecture support for multi-link/multi-channel (MLO) and coexistence testing eliminates the need for external components, greatly simplifying test setup
  • Flexible and intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) enables both on-site and remote development

Economics for R&D, DVT and Manufacturing Test 

  • Wi-Fi 8 support ensures long term relevance and lowers CAPEX
  • Turnkey test software solutions with IQfact+ enable fast time to market and a seamless transition from product development to manufacturing
  • Multi-DUT software architecture reduces manufacturing cost by providing optimized test throughput

Designed for Wi-Fi 8, Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 6 Testing in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz Bands

  • Continuous frequency range support from 400 MHz to 7300 MHz
  • Analysis bandwidth of over 320 MHz
  • Best-in-class residual Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) floor to ensure the highest measurement accuracy for 4096 QAM
  • Comprehensive testing capabilities for IEEE 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8), 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E) and legacy Wi-Fi standards
  • Support for test and measurement of advanced Wi-Fi 8 physical layer features including enhanced long range PPDU (ELR-PPDU), new MCS rates, 2xLDPC codes, unequal modulation and distributed RU
  • Signal generation covers OFDMA RU and multi-RU (MRU) assignments
  • Signal analysis covers all EHT PHY standard measurements for transmitter (spectral mask, flatness, frequency error, constellation error and more) and receiver (sensitivity, ACR and more)

Wide Range of Connectivity Technologies (Bluetooth® and Bluetooth® Low Energy 5.x, Channel Sounding, HDT 802.15.4, DECT, LPWAN)

  • Tests all Bluetooth® device standards (1.x, 2.x, 3.0, 4.x), Bluetooth 5.x AoA and AoD, as well as the Bluetooth Channel Sounding (CS) and Higher Data Throughput (HDT) functionality
  • Connectivity standards DECT (ETSI EN 300 176-1), 802.15.4 PHY based standards including ZigBee, Z-Wave and WiSUN
  • Test support for LPWAN technologies LoRa and Sigfox

Turnkey Solutions for Leading WLAN and Bluetooth® Chipset Manufacturers

  • Start testing immediately with IQfact+™ software solutions for leading WLAN and Bluetooth® chipsets
  • Growing library of hundreds of chipset-specific test solutions save setup time and development costs
  • Fully backward compatible with existing LitePoint connectivity test systems

Available Technology Options for WLAN, Bluetooth®, IoT and LPWAN

  • Wi-Fi, 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8)
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7)
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E)
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11a/b/g/j/n/p
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11af
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11ah (HaLow)
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11az Next Generation Positioning (NGP)
  • Wi-Fi, 802.11ba Wake Up Radio (WUR)
  • Bluetooth®, Classic/EDR (1-4.x), Low Energy (4.0, 4.1, 4.2), Bluetooth® (5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3) and Bluetooth Channel Sounding (CS), Higher Data Throughput (HDT)
  • Zigbee, Z-Wave and Wi-SUN
  • DECT
  • LPWAN: Sigfox, LoRa
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