Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/31670-bluetest-rs-introduce-signaling-ota-measurement-support-for-bluetooth-low-energy-devices
Bluetest

Bluetest, R&S Introduce Signaling OTA Measurement Support for Bluetooth Low Energy Devices

January 18, 2019

Bluetest announces Flow measurement software support for signaling measurements on Bluetooth Low Energy devices using the R&S CMW270 or R&S CMW500 Radio Communication testers from Rohde & Schwarz in combination with any of the Bluetest Reverberation chambers.  

The key advantage of using Rohde & Schwarz signaling mode compared with the traditional Direct Test Mode (DTM) is the removal of the HCI control cable typically used for the control of the device as well as providing feedback on received packages during receiver sensitivity measurements. This greatly simplifies Radiated Power (TRP) and Receiver Sensitivity (TIS) measurements on BLE devices as the HCI may not always be easily available on a device in its enclosure, especially for off-the shelf products.  

Connecting a cable to very small devices such as in-ear headphones, hearing aids and smart watches may also distort the OTA measurement result as the cable itself affects the performance of the built-in antenna. 

The Flow software enables automated measurements as well as in-depth result analysis and is available with all Bluetest’s OTA chambers, with the Bluetest' RTS25 chamber being particularly well-suited for this category of application.  The RTS25 chamber features cost-effective Bluetooth and WLAN measurements, as well as offering our customers a highly compact footprint.  

Ultimately, the Bluetest aim is to ensure that wireless testing for device manufacturers is simplified and resulting measurements are more accurate than ever. Further cooperation with Rohde & Schwarz, a long-time partner and market-leading manufacturer of radio communication testers, enable Bluetest to deliver on that challenge.

The R&S CMW test platform delivers the full range of Bluetooth RF tests, including BLE and Classic up to Bluetooth 5.1.  Along with signaling tests and tests in Direct Test Mode, the R&S CMW enables audio tests on Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR) links. Additional to the Bluetooth functionality, the R&S CMW offers RF-, protocol and IP throughput tests for all cellular and non-cellular standards. The tester is especially suited for tests during development, for pre-conformance tests, qualified audio tests, production and OTA tests.