Optimizing WLAN Test Systems For Measurement Speed: Four Ways To Reduce Measurement Time

By National Instruments

With increasing pressure to lower test costs, many RF test engineers face the challenge of reducing measurement time. As you might expect, wireless LAN (WLAN) device testing is no exception. Whether you are creating an automated test system for design validation or final production test, it has become increasingly important to optimize a test system for measurement speed. Thus, consider the following tips to reduce measurement time of WLAN devices:

1. Measure error vector magnitude (EVM) over only part of a burst
2. Use composite measurements
3. Measure only the necessary span
4. Use the fastest CPU available

In this discussion, all WLAN measurements are configured using the NI WLAN Measurement Suite, which contains both generation and analysis toolkits for NI LabVIEW and LabWindows™/CVI software.