wireless networks - microwave engineering europe · 2019-11-07 · wireless networks: telepresence...

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NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019

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Wireless Networks

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Contents

10, 12How to right-size your wireless testing

Wireless Networks: 24GHz to 44 GHz wideband integrated upconverters and downconverters

20What is spoofing and how to ensure GPS security?

RF - Microwave

MW6-8News

Study finds security gaps in smart light bulbs

EU project takes aim at plastic e-waste

4News

Amazon to develop long-range wireless for smart homes

Autonomous IoT security platform does not need human oversight

14, 17Wireless Networks: Telepresence systems based on IMS networks

How to prevent dropped communication in critical IoT applications

22Products

SDR for sub-THz systemsenables 6G testbed

ORAN-compliant RRUwith 7.2 VRAN function split

Editor In ChiefJean-Pierre JoostingTel. +44-7800 [email protected]

Advertising ProductionLydia GijsegomTel +32 (0) 2 740 00 [email protected]

Circulation & FinanceLuc DesimpelTel +32 (0) 2 740 [email protected]

Art ManagerJean-Paul SpeliersTel +32 (0)2 740 [email protected]

AccountingRicardo Pinto FerreiraTel +32 (0)2 740 [email protected]

PublisherAndre RousselotTel +32 (0)2 740 [email protected]

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You Engineer the Future. We’ll Supply the Components... Today!

Armed with the world’s largest selection of in-stock, ready to ship RF components, and the brains to back them up, Pasternack Applications Engineers stand ready to troubleshoot your technical issues and think creatively to deliver solutions for all your RF project needs. Whether you’ve hit a design snag, you’re looking for a hard to find part or simply need it by tomorrow, our Applications Engineers are at your service.

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Amazon to develop long-range wireless for smart homesTech giant Amazon (Seattle, WA) has announced that it is developing a longer-range equivalent to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless protocols for use in smart devices.

The idea behind the new protocol, called Amazon Sidewalk, is to offer a "middle-ground" wireless technology for devices in the space around homes – like sensors and smart lights – that can benefit from low-cost, low-power, low-bandwidth connections. Users of such devices, says the company, "shouldn't have to settle for connected devices that lose functionality past the front door."

Amazon Sidewalk is presented as a new long-term effort to greatly extend the working range of low-bandwidth, low-power, smart lights, sensors, and other low-cost devices customers install at the edge of their home network. Using already tested and established 900-MHz spectrum technology, the new protocol is projected to increase the connection range of these devices by more than one half mile/one kilometer.

"With Amazon Sidewalk," says the company, "customers will be able to place smart devices anywhere on their property and know they'll work great, even in dead spots where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth don't reach."

Currently, when users place a smart device at the edge of their home network, poor network connectivity can prevent that device from receiving important feature and security updates. By extending long-range, low-bandwidth connections using the Amazon Sidewalk network, says the company, users won't have to worry about smart devices that don't have access to the latest security updates or work as intended because they're out of network range.

"In the near future," the company adds, "we also see the potential to help customers get more from 900-MHz connections in their neighborhoods, creating a broad network among neighbors that can be used to extend connectivity all the way to your mailbox out at the street where a smart sensor lets you know exactly when your mail has been delivered, or to a water sensor

that lets you know it's time to water the garden in the backyard."

Such a neighbor-created network, says the company, demonstrates the potential of Amazon Sidewalk – a broad coverage network, ideal for low-bandwidth, low-cost devices, that requires no complex setup or maintenance for users. With Sidewalk, the company says it also sees the opportunity to deliver new devices and experiences to users, with one example being its just-announced Ring Fetch pet tracker _ the first device to use the Sidewalk protocol.

"In the future," says the company, "expanding the Amazon Sidewalk network will provide customers with even more capabilities like real-time location information, helping you quickly reunite with your lost pet. For device makers, Fetch also serves as a reference design to demonstrate the potential that devices connected to a broad, reliable network can provide to their customers."

The company says it plans to publish protocols that any manufacturer can use to build reliable, low-power, low-cost devices that benefit from access to long-range, low-bandwidth wireless connections.

https://build.amazonalexadev.com/Amazon_Sidewalk.html

News

Autonomous IoT security platform does not need human oversightAutonomous security technology deve-loper NXM Labs (San Francisco, CA) has recently demonstrated its Autonomous Security platform at Arm TechCon 2019.

The autonomous security platform is designed to enable IoT devices to ma-nage security and data privacy without human oversight. The company says that it is the first independent software vendor to bring Crypto Agility to PSA Certified Level 1 - a key enabler for Au-tonomous Security. The company says it leverages the advanced security features of Arm-based chips to deliver scalable solutions that automate device onboar-ding and data versatility at the chip

level, dramatically reducing the cost of deploying AI and unlocking new recurring revenue opportunities.

To ensure data privacy, NXM automa-tically bifurcates machine-generated data from personally identifiable information, giving the OEM the option of storing data in compliance with privacy regulations, including GDPR and California's new IoT security law. In the rare event that a device's security is ever compromised, the system can reset a device's encryp-tion keys allowing the device to resume normal operation with restored security.

This same technology platform, says the company, will be capable of protec-

ting devices against rapidly evolving cyber threats from future quantum computers.

The company demonstrated its platform using distributed ledger - i.e., blockchain - and agile crypto technolo-gies secured by Arm TrustZone tech-nology on an STM32 L5, Cortex-M33 based chip from STMicroelectronics combined with Microsoft's Azure IoT Hub. A second demonstration featured quantum-safe encryption enabled by the ISARA Radiate Quantum-safe Toolkit and provided through NXM's Agile Crypto microservice on a M33-class board."

www.nxmlabs.com

Largest Selection p Same-Day Shipping p Expert Technical Support p

You Engineer the Future. We’ll Supply the Components... Today!

Armed with the world’s largest selection of in-stock, ready to ship RF components, and the brains to back them up, Pasternack Applications Engineers stand ready to troubleshoot your technical issues and think creatively to deliver solutions for all your RF project needs. Whether you’ve hit a design snag, you’re looking for a hard to find part or simply need it by tomorrow, our Applications Engineers are at your service.

Pasternack.com

USA (949) 261-1920 AUSTRIA (49) 89 4161 5994 0 BELGIUM (31) 229 50 34 78 CZECH REPUBLIC (420) 235 365 207 DENMARK (46) 8 554 909 50 FINLAND (46) 8 554 909 50 FRANCE (33) 1 47 95 99 60

GERMANY (49) 89 4161 5994 0 IRELAND (44) 0 1420 544789 ISRAEL (972) 9 741 7277 ITALY (39) 06 4071603 KAZAKHSTAN (7) 495 961 34 43 LUXEMBOURG (31) 229 50 34 78 NETHERLANDS (31) 229 50 34 78

NORWAY (46) 8 554 909 50 POLAND (48) 22 855 34 32 PORTUGAL (34) 91 636 3939 RUSSIA (7) 495 961 34 43 SLOVAKIA (420) 235 365 207 SPAIN (34) 91 636 3939 SWEDEN (46) 8 554 909 50

SWITZERLAND (49) 89 4161 5994 0 TURKEY (90) 216 504 07 87 UKRAINE (7) 495 961 34 43 UNITED KINGDOM (44) 0 1420 544789


SAR microsatellite constellation to improve remote sensingUS-based EOS Data Analytics, a space portfolio company of Noosphere Ven-tures, has emerged from two years of stealth mode to unveil EOS SAR, which is a project to develop its own synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors intended for deployment in a microsatellite constellation.

"EOS learned that the remote sensing market has strong demand for high-resolution high-quality SAR data, but low supply of such data. The choice of SAR technology is driven by the need to image Earth's surface through dense cloud cover, in any season and all weather. It is critical for users to have access to uninterrupted, persistent situa-tional awareness," said Max Polyakov, CEO of EOS and Managing Partner at Noosphere Ventures.

EOS engineers have already designed a radar prototype and are moving ahead with the development of a low-cost high-performance SAR payload for small

satellites with ultra-high resolution down to 25 cm. EOS SAR microsatellites will

operate in Stripmap and Spotlight modes (including interferometry) and will co-ver a wide range of applica-tions. EOS is also conside-ring dual-frequency SAR in X-band and S-band on a single satellite. Dual-band operation increases versa-tility for all weather imaging and improves object-ground

contrast. A special configuration of the radar front end allows for imaging of selected areas in both bands in a single orbit.

The SAR payload incorporates a de-ployable reflector antenna developed in-house at EOS. This antenna technology enables EOS SAR instrument to improve satellite efficiency and offer superior image quality.

www.noosphereventures.comhttps://eos.com

Silicon Labs purchases IEEE 1588 assets from QulsarSilicon Labs has acquired all IEEE 1588 precision time protocol (PTP) software and module assets from Qulsar, a leading provider of PTP grandmasters, gateways and other system-level syn-chronization-based systems.

The purchase includes all Qulsar modules (PTP master, gateway, boun-dary clocks and slave clocks) as well as IEEE 1588 servo and stack software, development tools and board support packages (BSPs) for a wide range of applications spanning small cells, optical transport, smart grid, automotive and 5G wireless infrastructure.

According to James Wilson, General Manager of Timing Products at Silicon Labs, "The addition of Qulsar's sof-tware and modules to our 1588 network synchronizer portfolio uniquely positions us to address this fast-growing market opportunity with turnkey, carrier-grade solutions that simplify 1588 integration and accelerate time to market."

www.qulsar.comwww.silabs.com

Silicon-based security-as-a-service protects IoT edge devicesMicron Technology has launched what it says is the industry’s first silicon-based security-as-a-service platform for IoT edge devices.

The Micron Authenta Key Management Service (KMS) platform provides a cloud-first deployment model for a wide range of applications. Installed Authenta-enabled devices can be switched on through a cloud-based service, mitigating a number of the largest challenges and complexities in an “everything connected” system.

“Securing a diverse set of IoT edge devices through the complete product lifecycle - from the supply chain to in-field management - requires a novel, simple, scalable and cost-effective approach,” says Amit Gattani, senior di-rector of embedded segment marketing for Micron’s Embedded Business Unit. “Authenta KMS provides a trusted and

unique silicon-to-cloud service for all ‘connected things’ using Authenta-en-abled flash devices.”

Authenta KMS features hardware root of trust embedded in NAND and NOR flash devices, allows them to safeguard device functio-nality at the silicon level.

Authenta KMS works beside existing efforts

to protect IoT networks with secure element functions in Authenta-en-abled flash devices. Authenta KMS security-as-a- service platform allows installed secure flash devices to be acti-vated and managed at the edge through a cloud-based service. This capability enables platform-hardening and device protection extending from the manufac-turing supply chain to in-field installa-tion and management.

www.micron.com

UK funds ARM to develop security IPThe UK government says it is helping provide £36 million to ARM to develop online security technologies and intellec-tual property. The move is described as the next phase of the Digital Security by Design project which the UK government announced in July 2019. At that time the government said the Digital Security by Design project would be backed by Goo-gle and Microsoft, amongst others, and would receive up to £117 million worth of private funding combined with £70 million of government investment.

The original DSD description did say that measures taken under the scheme would range from a secure hardware pro-totype that can cope with cyber-attacks, to software protected from new vulnera-bilities appearing online. The DSD was scheduled to create projects over the next 5 years so it seems likely that the £36 mil-lion for the ARM secure project is not an additional sum, but rather a first spending out of the DSD pot.

www.arm.com

News


News

Study finds security gaps in smart light bulbsCould lighting your home open up your personal information to hackers? Researchers at UTSA have conducted a review of the security holes that exist in popular smart-light brands. According to the analysis, the next prime target could be that smart bulb that shoppers buy this coming holiday season.

"Your smart bulb could come equip-ped with infrared capabilities, and most users don't know that the invisible wave spectrum can be controlled. You can misuse those lights," said Murtuza Jadliwala, professor and director of the Security, Privacy, Trust and Ethics in Computing Research Lab in UTSA's Department of Computer Science. "Any data can be stolen: texts or images. Anything that is stored in a computer."

Some smart bulbs connect to a home network without needing a smart home hub, a centralized hardware or software device where other internet of things products communicate with each other. Smart home hubs, which connect either locally or to the cloud, are useful for IoT devices that use the Zigbee or Z-Wave protocols or Bluetooth, rather than Wi-Fi.

If these same bulbs are also in-frared-enabled, hackers can send commands via the infrared invisible light emanated from the bulbs to either steal data or spoof other connected IoT devices on the home network. The owner might not know about the hack because the hacking commands are communicated within the owner's home Wi-Fi network, without using the internet.

Smart bulbs have moved beyond novelty to a lucrative mature market. Last year consumers spent close to $8 billion, and that amount is expec-ted to more than triple to $28 billion in less than a decade.

"Think of the bulb as another computer," adds Jadliwala. "These bulbs are now poised to become a much more attractive target for exploitation even though they have very simple chips."

Jadliwala recommends that consumers opt for bulbs that come with a smart home hub rather than those that connect directly to other devices. He also recommends that

manufacturers do a better job in develo-ping security measures to limit the level of access that these bulbs have to other smart home appliances or electronics within a home.

The study, titled "Light Ears: Infor-mation Leakage via Smart Lights," can be found here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3351256.

www.utsa.edu

EU project takes aim at plastic e-waste by finding more ways for manfacturers to recyle/reusePolyCE, a European Commission-funded project supported by the United Nations is calling for consumers to demand electronic and electrical products made with recycled plastic, and for manufacturers to redesign products to both improve recyclability and integrate recycled plastics in new products, thus reducing e-waste. PolyCE (for Post-Consumer High-tech Recycled Polymers for a Circular Economy) is a multinational consortium led by Fraunhofer IZM that comprises universities, civil society organisations, and numerous companies that is working to find ways to cut e-waste.

According to the Nordic Council of Ministers, plastics ac-count for about 20% of all materials in electronic and electri-cal equipment (EEE), most of it not designed for recovery and reuse.

The PolyCE consortium is launching a two-year campaign to raise awareness among consumers and manufacturers in order to change their attitudes towards recycled plastics and improve their market uptake.

According to project partner Kim Ragaret, University of Gent: "Plastics are a valuable resource with a great potential for cir-cularity. Plastics themselves aren't the problem – our so-called plastics problems relate to attitudes and waste management."

Plastics are essential for making many different compo-nents of electronic and electrical products, including phones,

computers, TVs, vacuum cleaners, hairdryers and household appliances. According to PolyCE consortium experts pro-ducts can be designed in ways that make material recovery of plastic components easier.

Of the more than 12 million tonnes of e-waste expected next year in Europe (EU, Norway and Switzerland), an esti-mated 2.5 million tonnes (23 percent) will be plastics.

That's the weight equivalent of 62,500 fully-loaded 40-tonne trucks – enough to form a line from Rome to Frank-furt – and 2.5 times the 1 million tonnes of plastic landfilled as e-waste components in the year 2000.

The PolyCE consortium noted a report from Sweden that, globally, just 10% of higher grade plastics from durable goods is recovered and recycled worldwide today, which compares poorly with average 50 to 90% recovery and recycling rates for metals and glass).

The project illustrates through a number of demonstrators that making EEE containing high-quality recycled plastics is economically feasible for manufacturers, and the products are just as long-lasting and durable as those containing virgin plastics. In addition, buying EEE containing recycled plastics offers many other benefits for the environment.

www.polyce-project.eu

News

UTSA researchers review the security gaps on smart bulbs exposing consumers to hacks. Image courtesy of UTSA.


Get smart at www.microchip.com/Smart

The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. © 2019 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. DS00002769A. MEC2237A-Eng-06-19

Smart Solutions to Accelerate DesignBuilding Blocks to Optimize Your Design’s Intelligence

As technology has evolved, more and more devices demand intelligent systems. Microchip has been on the forefront of this evolution, bringing you a broad portfolio of solutions that helps you:

• Easily find the right level of intelligence for your design with our broad portfolio of 8-, 16- and 32-bit MCUs, DSCs and MPUs

• Efficiently create differentiated designs with flexible peripherals and functions • Accelerate design time with our intuitive development environments, complete

reference designs, free software libraries and automatic code generation tools.

Learn how Microchip can get you to production faster by providing solutions that are not only smart, but also connected and secure.

5G demand to drive semiconductor recoveryThe global semiconductor market is going to suffer an 18 percent annual fall in 2019 but follow that with 5.9 percent annual growth in 2020, accor-ding to IHS Markit.

Global revenue will rise to $448 billion next year, up from $422.8 bil-lion in 2019, the market research firm states and gives the deployment of 5G as the demand driver that will require semiconductors for in-frastructure and reinvigorate the smart-phone market. In addition the arrival of 5G will drive new services and economic activity and boost other chip markets in consumer, industrial and automotive.

The current downturn is mainly the result of a fall in DRAM and NAND flash memory pricing that started in late 2018 due to an oversupply of components. While that situation will abate in the 2H19 the semiconductor market is still set to be

flat or decline in the 1H20. The recovery will materialize in the second half of 2020,

courtesy of 5G."Throughout the

history of the semi-conductor industry, every market downturn has ended with the arrival of a technical innovation that spur-red a major increase in demand," said Len Jelinek, senior director of semiconductor manufacturing for IHS

Markit Technology, in a statement. He referenced the advent of the worldwide web and the iPhone as such innovations.

Following declines in 2018 and 2019, the global smartphone business is ex-pected to return to annual unit shipment growth in 2020. As a result, chip sales to this segment increasing by 7 percent in 2020, following a 22 percent drop in 2019.

www.ihsmarkit.com

Globe Telecom selects Aviat's multi-band radio platform for 5GAviat Networks has announced that Globe Telecom will deploy its WTM 4800 E-band and multi-band radio platform to support their 5G rollouts. The WTM 4800 is the first and only single box, multi-band radio platform that lowers total cost of ownership (TCO) significantly, compared to alternative multi-band systems.

Globe will also use the Aviat Design tool for multi-band link planning, allowing the provider to simplify network plan-ning of multi-band links. Additionally, Globe will be leveraging NETCONF/YANG interfaces from Aviat to support its automation and software defined networ-king (SDN) initiatives, the result of close collaboration between the companies.

"Multi-band is an important wireless transport technology applying the opti-mal use of spectrum leading to higher bandwidth supporting Globe's backhaul requirements for 5G and Enterprise at the lowest cost per Gbps," stated Mr. Constantine A. Serafica, Head of Trans-port Network Division, Globe Telecom.

www.aviatnetworks.com

U-blox partners with Kudelski Group on IoT securitySwiss comnpany, u-blox is partnering with the Kudelski Group to help clients protect Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the ecosystems that they enable. The IoT Security Lab is a consulting service offered by u-blox in partnership with the Kudelski Group, which has more than 30 years’ experience of pro-tecting business assets in high-value ecosystems.

The IoT Security Lab will provi-de threat assessments and security evaluations for IoT device makers to identify vulnerabilities. These will give clients a complete view of the security of their IoT offerings, at the chip, board and software level. It will also provide advice about a device’s overall approach to security and test the security of IoT prototypes before market introduction. This approach will save IoT device vendors time and money and will reduce the chances of financial and reputational damage once the devices are in service.

The IoT Security Lab service will offer risk analyses, initial threat assessments, and will design customer-specific IoT se-curity architectures. It will also be able to advise clients on how to design their IoT devices and ecosystems to take advan-tage of the security capabilities of u-blox products, to avoid vulnerabilities and protect from emerging security issues once in the field.

Clients will be able to draw on the combined hardware, software and security expertise of u-blox and Kudelski Group, without having to invest in hiring, retaining and constantly training in-house security experts, which are often scarce and diffi-cult to find. Clients will also be offered the opportunity to integrate their applications with the Kudelski IoT Security Platform, which creates trust and control between IoT devices and applications

www.u-blox.comwww.nagra.com

Wi-Fi 6 to take over half of the market in 2024The increasing demand for bandwidth for home entertainment and communication is going to drive Wi-Fi 6 routers to take more than 50 percent of the consumer premises equipment market in 2024, according to ABI Research.

Supported by key features such as OFDMA, 8x8 multiuser MIMO, Wi-Fi 6 can provide a peak data rate up to 10Gbps. Wi-Fi CPE vendors such as Arris, TP-Link, and Netgear have announced Wi-Fi mesh systems supporting Wi-Fi 6 and the stan-dard is expected to gain momentum in the next two years in both retail and service provider segments.

ABI Research, forecasts that the Wi-Fi consumer premises equipment (CPE) market, including routers, gateways, whole-home mesh systems, access points, and Wi-Fi extenders will generate 221 million unit shipments in 2019. A total of 254 million Wi-Fi CPE units will be shipped in 2024 with more than half of them supporting Wi-Fi 6.

www.abiresearch.com

News

Global semiconductor market forecast (in millions of dollars). Source: IHS Markit.

Get smart at www.microchip.com/Smart

The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. © 2019 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. DS00002769A. MEC2237A-Eng-06-19

Smart Solutions to Accelerate DesignBuilding Blocks to Optimize Your Design’s Intelligence

As technology has evolved, more and more devices demand intelligent systems. Microchip has been on the forefront of this evolution, bringing you a broad portfolio of solutions that helps you:

• Easily find the right level of intelligence for your design with our broad portfolio of 8-, 16- and 32-bit MCUs, DSCs and MPUs

• Efficiently create differentiated designs with flexible peripherals and functions • Accelerate design time with our intuitive development environments, complete

reference designs, free software libraries and automatic code generation tools.

Learn how Microchip can get you to production faster by providing solutions that are not only smart, but also connected and secure.


Wireless Test

Whether mobile devices, Internet of Things, or industrial RF applications, the world runs on wireless.

As a result, wireless testing is more important than ever before. But how do you balance thoroughness, speed, and budgets? Quipping "pick any two of the three" isn't a good answer. Testing must be thorough, fast enough to keep up with getting to market, and yet within tight budgets.

Test engineers should adopt a right-sizing approach to manage trade-offs and find solutions that are the best fit for a particular situation.

SPEC OUT THE TEST REQUIREMENTSRight-sized wireless testing starts with comparing and contrasting the two general types of wireless test systems: transceiver and handover. Transcei-ver testing means testing how radios directly communicate with one ano-ther. In handover testing, you test how antennas or access points perform with radios, which generally are called handsets.

Whether looking at transceiver or handover testing, testing gear has the following considerations:● Ports connect devices to the test

system;● Internal RF components attenuate,

divide, or combine signals;● Attenuators may be remotely pro-

grammable or manual;● Systems work over specific frequency

ranges;● Configurations establish paths of

communications among devices.

The ports, attenuators and divider/combiners, frequency ranges, and inter-nal configurations are where tradeoffs will happenthat affect overall testing speed, thoroughness, and cost.

MAKING CHOICESIn a perfect world, you would have the most flexible test system available. It would connect any set of radios or col-lection of handsets and antennas that

you wanted to test. Every path between two devices would have a program-mable attenuator to separately adjust the signal strength between the devices and include the ability to adjust signal strength over time to simulate signal fading.

However, as the numbers of ports, potential paths, and RF components increase, so does the expense. Additio-nal components expand the amount of rack space necessary for housing. They also put greater demands on power and heat dissipation.

If you reduce the number of compo-nents in the test system; size, power, and cooling demands decrease, as does cost. The price you pay is a loss of testing flexibility. Some test confi-gurations may be impossible to model. Other scenarios could take longer as decreased flexibility necessitates more testing iterations to cover individual cases and more time in the schedule to accommodate additional setup and stages of testing.

In handover testing, an additional source that can balance flexibility, time, and savings is the use of manual atte-nuators. They are less expensive than programmable ones because they lack the circuitry for remote programming. Instead, an engineer sets them through knobs on the front of the attenuators. The manual action increases the time for configuration and cannot accom-modate all testing scenarios, like fading the dB setting over time to simulate signal fading.

Even input power specifications can pressure a budget. Test equipment frequently accepts limited antenna or access point power input, like 1 Watt, versus a typical commercial 40 Watt de-vice, because of the power dissipation characteristics of the equipment com-ponents. Adding a dedicated attenuator instead of running tests at full power is far less costly than upgrading the test system's components.

Although not strictly a trade-off, the use of technically neutral language can broaden your options in searching

for appropriate test equipment. The frequencies used by LTE wireless differ by country, for example. Specify actual frequency ranges. Companies vary in how they refer to frequency ranges. Some specify everything in megahertz; others quote gigahertz. Look for the ap-propriate values under each to be sure you don't shortchange your search.

WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS TOMORROW?Trade-offs affect the future as well. Test engineers cannot only consider today's needs, because test devices usually aren’t reconfigurable. If you buy a unit that works for a current project, next year may bring another design that has more expansive requirements and will need a separate test system. And yet, that second unit likely could have co-vered the current test cases, so overly narrow economics can also be self-de-feating.

In some cases, the additional ex-pense of greater coverage might be negligible. For example, if you want to test transceivers in the frequency range of 900 MHz to 2 GHz, a customized test system might cost virtually the same as one that would cover 698 MHz to 3 GHz because the latter could use more stan-dard parts, gaining off-the-shelf cost efficiencies.

Consider the amount of attenuation you will need on connections. There are typical ranges, such as from 0 dB to 95 dB in 1 dB steps up to 6,000 MHz, or 0 dB to 127 dB in 1 dB steps up to 3,000 MHz. The more you can contain your testing attenuation needs into typical ranges, the more likely the test system will use less expensive standard components.

TRANSCEIVER TESTINGEach port in transceiver test equipment will represent one RF signal for one of the radios being tested. Each antenna, with radios often in a shielded enclo-sure to control the testing environment, is connected to the port through a cable.

How to right-size your wireless testingBy JFW Industries, Inc.


Wireless Test

There are three types of configurations you may find in transceiver test equip-ment:● Full fan-out● Limited fan-out● Hub fan-out

Full fan-out is the most flexible because it offers a fully meshed matrix. It is also the most expensive because it requires the most RF components. In a full fan-out configuration, there is an attenuator for each possible path between radio pairs. If you have 12 ports, there are (12 x 11)/2, or 66, possible two-way paths, each requi-ring a programmable attenuator. With 6 ports, there are (6 x 5)/2, or 15, pos-sible paths, and, so, 15 programmable attenuators.

In a limited fan-out, each port connects to a specific subset of other ports to either side. If you take a 12 port box and have an 8 limited fan-out design, each of the 12 ports will connect to the four immediately above it and the four immediately below. That would reduce the number of paths needing attenuators to 48. The more ports, the more economically attrac-tive a limited fan-out design can be. A 36-port full fan-out box would need 630 programmable attenuators. Switch to a 36-port 12 limited fan design and the number of programmable attenuators you need is now only 216, a savings of about two-thirds. A limited fan-out can work, if in real-world use, the radios would be spread out geographically far enough so that not all would directly communicate.

The hub fan-out is the simplest design, using a hub and spoke topo-logy. There is only one programmable attenuator per port. But you sacrifice flexibility. Each radio communicates to every other radio through the test system at the same time.

When you set the attenuator on one port, you've now limited its transmis-sion to every other port, rather than independently setting the attenuation for each possible pair of communicating devices. You can still program a specific amount of attenuation between any one pair of radios, but you lose flexible control over the attenuation on all other possible paths.

HANDOVER TESTINGIn handover testing, there are two types of ports: input and output. Input ports represent antennas: base stations, ac-cess points, cell towers, or some other

type of connection to the communica-tions network. Output ports represent handsets or mobile devices. The terms "input" and "output" in this case are naming conventions, as all paths for a handover test system operate bi-di-rectionally. There are three types of handover configurations:● Full fan-out● Limited fan-out● Manual handover

As with a transceiver test system, a full fan-out handover system means all inputs can talk to all outputs. Each input port is connected to an RF di-vider/combiner to split the signal into multiple paths corresponding to the number of output ports. Each path has an attenuator. Then each path enters a divider/combiner for the associated output port. To find the number of paths in a full fan-out handover system, mul-tiply the number of input ports by the number of output ports. An 8x4 system would have a 1x4 divider/combiner and 4 attenuators for each input port and a 1x8 divider/combiner for each output. That makes 32 attenuators and 12 total divider/combiners.

In a limited fan-out, each input has an attenuator, so the same signal stren-gth reaches all the antennas. All the inputs lead into a single divider/combi-ner, which in turn leads to another divi-der/combiner connected to the outputs. For the 8x4 configuration, there are only 8 attenuators and 2 divider/com-biners. The number of components is far smaller, but you can't independently adjust attenuation for each path from a handset to an antenna.

Manual handover systems also use a limited fan-out configuration. The diffe-rence between manual and program-mable limited fan-out is that, in a ma-nual system, manual rotary attenuators replace programmable ones. Manual handover systems are the simplest and least expensive type and are usually employed in early R&D.

FIND THE RIGHT SIZEOptions are great to have. They also complicate the process of making decisions. No one can tell you what is best for your specific needs because no one else has to balance your schedule, complexity, and budget. However, chances are you can find the right type of testing equipment to meet your spe-cific needs.

www.jfwindustries.com

The example diagram shown is a 12 port hub fan-out configuration. All ports are connected via a resistive power divider/combiner with a star configura-tion. There are a total of 12 programma-ble attenuators.

The example diagram shows a 12 port LC8 design. Each port is connected to only its 8 closest neighboring ports (4 upper neighboring ports and 4 lower neighboring ports). This design requires only 48 programmable attenuators.

The example diagram above is a 12 port full fan-out configuration. This 12 port design will have a total of 66 program-mable attenuators.


Wireless Networks

Analog Devices launched a pair of highly integrated microwave upconver-ter and downconverter chips, the ADMV1013 and the ADMV1014, res-pectively. These ICs operate over a very wide frequency range with 50 Ω match from 24 GHz up to 44 GHz and can support more than 1 GHz instantaneous bandwidth. Performance attributes of the ADMV1013 and ADMV1014 ease the design and implementation of small 5G millimeter wave (mmW) platforms that cover the popular 28 GHz and 39 GHz bands in backhaul and fron-thaul, as well as many other ultrawide bandwidth transmitter and receiver applications.

Each upconverter and downcon-verter chip is highly integrated (see Figure 1), comprised of in phase (I) and quadrature phase (Q) mixers with on-chip quadrature phase-shifter configu-rable for direct conversion to/from the baseband (operable from dc to 6 GHz) or to/from an intermediate frequency (IF) that can operate from 800 MHz to 6 GHz. The upconverter RF output has an on-chip transmit driver amplifier with a voltage variable attenuator (VVA), while the downconverter’s RF input contains a low noise amplifier (LNA) and gain stage with a VVA. Both chips’ local oscillator (LO) chain consists of an inte-grated LO buffer, a frequency quadru-pler, and a programmable band-pass filter. Most of the programmability and calibration functions are controlled via an SPI interface, making the ICs easily software configurable to a performance level that is unmatched. AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE ADMV1013 UPCONVERTERThe ADMV1013 offers two modes of frequency translation. One mode is direct upconversion from baseband I and Q to RF. In this I/Q mode, the baseband I and Q differential inputs can accept signals from dc up to 6 GHz,

for instance, generated from a pair of high speed transmit digital-to-analog converters (DACs). These inputs have a configurable common-mode range from 0 V to 2.6 V; thus, they can accommo-date the interface requirements of most DACs. So when a DAC with a certain common-mode voltage is chosen, the upconverter’s registers can be easily set to match the optimum bias for that VCM voltage, simplifying the interface design. The other mode is single-side-band upconversion to RF from complex IF inputs such as those signals gene-rated by a quadrature digital upconver-ter device.

Unique to the ADMV1013 is its capability to allow digital correction of the I and Q mixers’ dc offset error in the I/Q mode, resulting in improved LO leakage to the RF output. Achievable LO leakage after calibration can be as low as –45 dBm at the RF output, at maximum gain. An even more difficult challenge that plagues direct conver-sion radio design is that of I and Q phase imbalance, which gives rise to

poor sideband suppression. An added challenge with direct conversion is that the sideband is usually too close to the microwave carrier that renders filters impractical. The ADMV1013 solves the problem by allowing users to digitally correct for the I and Q phase imba-lance through register tuning. In normal operation, the upconverter exhibits an uncalibrated sideband suppression of 26 dBc. Using the on-chip registers, its sideband suppression can be improved to about 36 dBc after calibration. Both correction features are accessed via the SPI without extra circuitry. Additional suppression can be achieved by further adjusting the phase balance of the I and Q DACs at baseband, in the I/Q mode. These performance enhance-ment features minimize external filtering while improving radio performance at microwave frequencies.

With the LO buffer integrated, the part requires only 0 dBm drive. Thus, the de-vice can be conveniently driven directly from a synthesizer with integrated vol-tage controlled oscillator (VCO) like the

24 GHz to 44 GHz wideband integrated upconverters and downconverters boost microwave radio performance while reducing sizeBy James Wong, Kasey Chatzopoulos, and Murtaza Thahirally, Analog Devices, Inc.

Figure 1: (a) (left) The ADMV1013 upconverter chip block diagram. (b) (right) The ADMV1014 downconverter chip block diagram.


Wireless Networks

ADF4372 or ADF5610, further reducing external components. The on-chip fre-quency quadrupler multiplies the LO fre-quency to the desired carrier frequency and is passed through a programmable band-pass filter to reduce the undesired multiplier harmonics prior to feeding the mixers’ quadrature phase gene-rator stage. This arrangement greatly reduces spurious injection into the mixers while allowing the part to work with an external low cost, low frequency synthesizer/VCO. The modulated RF output is then amplified through a pair of amplifier stages with a VVA in between. The gain control provides a user adjust-ment range of 35 dB, with a maximum cascaded conversion gain of 23 dB. The ADMV1013 comes in a 40-lead land grid array package (see Figure 2). These features combine to provide exceptional performance, maximum flexibility, and ease of use, while requiring minimal external components. Hence, small mi-crowave platforms can be realized such as small cell base stations.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE ADMV1014 DOWNCONVERTERThe ADMV1014 also has some of the similar elements such as the LO buffer, frequency quadrupler, programmable band-pass filter, and quadrature phase shifter in its LO path. However, archi-tected as a downconversion device (see Figure 1b block diagram), the ADMV1014 has an LNA in its RF front end, followed by a VVA and an amplifier. A continuous 19 dB gain adjustment range is controlled by a dc voltage ap-plied to the VCTRL pin. Users have the option to use the ADMV1014 in an I/Q mode as a direct conversion demodu-lator from microwave to baseband dc. In this mode, the demodulated I and Q signals are amplified at the respective I and Q differential outputs. Their gain and dc common-mode voltage can be set by registers via the SPI, allowing

the differential signals to be dc coupled—for instance, to a pair of baseband analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Alternatively, the ADMV1014 can be used as an image-reject downconverter to single-ended I and Q IF ports. In either mode, the I and Q phase and amplitude imbalance can be corrected via the SPI, improving the downconverter’s image rejec-tion performance as it demodu-lates to baseband or IF. Overall, the downconverter provides a total cascaded noise figure of 5.5 dB, with a maximum conver-sion gain of 17 dB, over the frequency range from 24 GHz to 42 GHz. As the operating frequen-cy gets close to the band edge, up to 44 GHz, the cascaded NF is still a respectable 6 dB.

BOOSTING 5G mmW RADIO PERFORMANCEFigure 4 shows the measured per-formance of the downconverter at 28 GHz frequency, using a 5G NR waveform over 4 independent 100 MHz channels modulated at 256 QAM at –20 dBm input power per channel. The resulting EVM measured –40 dB (1% rms), enabling demodulation of higher order modulation schemes that mmW 5G re-quire. With the up and downconverter’s >1 GHz bandwidth capability, along with a 23 dBm OIP3 for the upconverter and 0 dBm IIP3 for the downconver-ter, the combination can be expected to support high order QAM modula-tions—hence high data throughput. In addition, the devices benefit other applications such as satellite and Earth station broadband communication links, secured communication radios, RF test equipment, and radar systems. Their superior linearity and image rejection performance are compelling, and when

combined with compact solution size, small form factor, high performance mi-crowave links, broadband base stations can be realized. ABOUT THE AUTHORSJames Wong is an RF product marke-ting manager at Analog Devices. He served in senior marketing and sales roles for more than 25 years.

Kasey Chatzopoulos is a product applications manager in the Microwave Communications Group (MCG) at Analog Devices. He is responsible for supporting the microwave integrated frequency conversion, RF tunable filter, and beamformer products in MCG.

Murtaza Thahirally is an applications engineer in the Microwave Com-munications Group (MCG) at Analog Devices. He is res-ponsible for suppor-ting the microwave integrated frequency conversion products in MCG.

www.analog.comFigure 4: Measured EVM performance in rms percentage versus input power and the corresponding 256 QAM constellation diagram at 28 GHz.

Figure 2: The ADMV1013 in a 6- × 6-mm surface-mount package shown on its evaluation board.

Figure 3: The ADMV1014 in a slightly smaller 5- × 5-mm package mounted on its evaluation board.


Wireless Networks

In today’s globalised workplace, multinational teams of people need to work closely together – something that requires effective and reliable means of communication between widely separated locations. The term “Telepre-sence” has been coined to describe this process of interconnection, whether it is needed for a business meeting with a client, a simple discussion within a team or perhaps a face-to-face discus-sion between two individuals.

WHAT IS TELEPRESENCE?Essentially, telepresence allows people to be effectively present without the hassle of travel. A conference call is a typical form of virtual presence: whether it is an audio or video conference, it gives the feeling of presence to the par-ticipants. The quality of presence differs based on how much information is pro-vided to the participants. If it is only an audio connection, the presence aware-ness is very small as participants do not have visual contact. Visual contact is, of course, present in video conferences, but participants still do not have a strong sense of realism, which requires the extra dimensions of eye contact, body language, spatial audio to dis-tinguish direction of voice, and natural image size to simulate a life-size image of the participating person. A telepre-sence system incorporating all these aspects offers conference communi-cations with a high audio-visual expe-rience, giving the participants a strong sense of presence and the feeling that all participants are sitting at the same room around the same table.

A telepresence system consists of dedicated hardware and software, linked using sufficient bandwidth to provide high throughput of HD audio and video information from multi-ple items of equipment. Participants appear in life size on large TV screens; HD cameras are capturing video from different angles; and microphones are recording audio from different posi-tions. Robotic arms with cameras are also used for tracking different people

and places to capture different additional objects like white-boards, demonstration equipment or additio-nal audience. Furniture and lighting conditions in telepresence rooms provide an environment where conference calls simulate a real-life environment and parti-cipants lose the feeling of multiple physical locations.

TELEPRESENCE NETWORKSCurrent telepresence systems are based on an IP network which connects at least two end-points. The main precondition for suc-cessful telepresence is an IP based connec-tion with a bandwidth sufficient enough to receive and send multimedia data in high definition. The amount of data depends on the quality of video and audio in a telepresence session. For example, a telepresence system such as the Cisco CTS-3000 with triple screen video of 1080 pixels resolution requires a 15 Mbit/s connec-tion.

Telepresence systems are based on two protocols: SIP (Session Initialisa-tion Protocol) standardised by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) and H.323 standardised by the ITU (Interna-tional Telecommunication Union).

Telepresence systems from different vendors may follow different implemen-tation arrangements while delivering a similar user experience. They may use different techniques to describe, control and negotiate media for transmission and reception, which can cause intero-perability issues where two end-points create the connection. User experience can suffer, for example, if video images captured by cameras are displayed

in the wrong order. Even when the telepresence system uses the same protocol SIP, vendors may use proprie-tary protocol extensions to overcome telepresence related problems.

For these reasons, CLUE (Control-ling Multiple Streams for Telepresence) has been created. CLUE is a set of specifications to enable interoperabi-lity between telepresence systems by addressing the following issues:● Description of spatial arrangement of

captured video;● Description of spatial arrangement of

captured audio;● Individual audio streams associated

with one or more video captures and individual video captures to be associated with one or more audio captures;

● Interoperability between end-points that have different numbers of de-vices;

● Interoperability between end-points with different video capture aspect ratios;

Telepresence systems based on IMS networksBy Martin Varga - Anritsu Europe

Figure 1: Message flows in a typical telepresence system.


Wireless Networks

● Information that enables rendering of a video image at the actual size of the captured scene;

● Interoperability between telepresence endpoints where displays are of different resolutions;

● Handling different bit rates in the same conference;● Interoperability between endpoints that send and receive

different numbers of media streams;● Endpoints that support telepresence extensions can establi-

sh a session with a SIP endpoint that does not support the telepresence extensions;

● Mechanism for determining whether or not an endpoint or MCU is capable of telepresence extensions;

● Means to enable more than two endpoints to participate in a teleconference;

● Support both transcoding and switching approaches for providing multipoint conferences;

● Mechanisms to allow media from one source endpoint and/or multiple source endpoints to be sent to a remote en-dpoint at a particular point in time;

● Supporting presentations with different media sources, presentations for which the media streams are visible to all endpoints and multiple simultaneous presentation media streams, including presentation media streams that are spa-tially related to one another.

TELEPRESENCE IMPLEMENTATION IN IMS NETWORKSIMS uses an IETF defined session control mechanism with the capability to negotiate multiple media streams in one session which is applied to support telepresence in the IMS network environment. IMS based telepresence incorporates CLUE with SIP and SDP to accommodate control of multiple spatial media streams in an IP media telepresence session.

SDP protocol is used in IMS to establish multimedia streams. In a telepresence session, each end-point sends and receives multiple multimedia streams which may be asymme-tric, as each point may have different capabilities for media production.

For a telepresence session, a CLUE data channel needs to be established. This channel is used for transportation of bidi-rectional CLUE messages. This channel must be established before any CLUE protocol message or CLUE-controlled media is sent or received. Once a CLUE data channel is established, CLUE protocol messages can be exchanged between end-points to advertise and configure audio and video components in the telepresence session.

Figure 1 shows an example of message flows in a tele-presence session. Any update to the telepresence session, such as a change of media streams, is done by the CLUE data channel where the information intended for streaming and receiving is exchanged with CLUE ADVERTISEMENT and CLUE CONFIGURE messages. Based on this, media streams are changed via SDP offer in SIP re-INVITE message.

Figure 2: The Anritsu MD8475A and MD8475B signal analysers.

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Wireless Networks

TEST SOLUTIONTelepresence support in an IMS network gives the opportunity for telepresence services using different kinds of devices including mobile systems, presenting a new set of challenges for users who need to test and verify these services. Fortunately, the latest generation of communications test equipment such as the Anritsu MD8475A and MD8475B signal analysers (Figure 2) provide the test environment for such complex mo-bile services, including those provided over IMS networks.

These instruments offer the capability of testing VoLTE, conference calling, public safety answering point, rich communication services and other IMS features, putting the user in a strong position to verify, test and troubleshoot many features and functions. The MX847570A-060/MX847570B-060 IMS script basic option simulates CSCF, Virtual UE and XCAP with the flexibility for creating customised IMS scripts for testing specific scenarios. A RTP Frame Control option can also offer more flexi-bility in testing where delay and loss of RTP packets are introduced to the voice or video stream of the call, thereby get-ting closer to real life scenario simula-tion. Functionality such as setting diffe-rent patterns of data in downlink streams

and sending periodic silent indicators in downlink again help get closer to real life scenario simulation and extend the range of device testing. Based on the extended functionality of the Anritsu signalling tester, new fields of testing emerge for power consumption testing. Mobile devices can be easily tested to determine how much energy the DUT

consumes in different call conditions.Further opportunity for enhanced

testing capabilities is provided by the ability to connect to an external IMS test network where an Anritsu signalling ana-lyser can serve as an access network. With this connection, the user can easily test and verify the interoperability of va-rious telepresence systems with the test device. The testing of device functiona-lity in telepresence system is not only limited to normal or so-called positive testing but abnormal and negative scenarios can also be included. With an IMS test network capable of simulating different signalling messages for tele-presence configuration, a wide range of test cases can be run against the device. Typical examples of such test cases are sending invalid messages or ignoring received messages during the setup or reconfiguration of a call which offer addi-tional scenarios for testing the behaviour of the device.

One other possible test example is to measure the quality of a voice in VoLTE call. The concept of measure-ment in this case is very simple: capture and analyse data packets. Once data packets of a call are captured, they can be decoded and analysed with different matrices to provide useful performance indicators. One of well known solution

Figure 3: Test configuration using an external IMS test network.

Edge device platform delivers security and authenticationThe DOME (Device Ownership Management & Enrolment) platform from SecureRF Corporation is a comprehensive device on-boarding and ownership management platform that provides processor-level security, authentication, and data management for devices at the edge of the IoT.

DOME gives every processor and device its own embedded blockchain pedigree and establishes proof of ownership without the need for a per-vasive network or cloud connection. It supports scalable security functions like in-field ownership transfers and secure firmware updates, reducing the cost and complexity of IoT device management at the edge.

The platform leverages SecureRF’s fast and small crypto-graphic methods to provide touchless processor and device on-boarding, and creates a rooted proof of ownership. The DOME architecture enables any current or future owner to manage and transfer ownership operations without a per-sistent cloud or network connection. IoT devices in the field, especially those at the edge of the IoT, are often very small, low-energy, and lack a direct cloud connection. When used

as software, DOME requires less than 8K of ROM, and can run on the smallest processors resulting in significant cost

and complexity reduction for device owners.

“In answering a functional need for one of our semiconductor partners, we discovered this critical missing ownership management function for small devices at the edge of the IoT. DOME addresses this need. The more secure we can help make the IoT, the greater the product adoption for our partners and customers,” ex-

plained Louis Parks, SecureRF’s Chairman and Chief Execu-tive Officer. “There are a variety of authentication methods that require cloud connectivity to validate the processor or device which did not seem practical for many of the smallest 32-bit, 16-bit, and even 8-bit processors we address. We see DOME as a platform upon which companies can build and deliver new global services and offerings securely.”

The company is actively working with industry partners to help deliver the powerful benefits of DOME.

www.securerf.com


IoT

We've all had it happen: one minute we are talking on a mobile phone, and the next minute our call dropped, and we are disconnected. We feel inconve-nienced when this happens. Perhaps we were in the middle of an important conversation, or worse, we were on a critical call with the police or the fire department.

This experience that we have all shared also applies to the IoT products we design. Whether you are designing a home automation leak sensor, a wireless security system or an industrial process controller, the specter of lost communication will wreak havoc on the user experience and reliability of your application. Fortunately, there are wireless IoT solutions built for maximum durability, reliability and longevity in the market today. These solutions feature robust meshing technology, low power consumption and sub-GHz frequencies, making them the ideal technology to fight dropped communication.

IEEE 802.15.4 TECHNOLOGY’S SELF-HEALING CAPABILITYYou may know of wireless technolo-gies such as Zigbee, WirelessHART, 6LoWPAN and MiWi™. These are all based on the IEEE® 802.15.4 standard. A key characteristic of this standard is the ability to form mesh networks that include nodes with separate roles. In these networks there are reduced func-tion devices (RFD), full function devices (FFD) and coordinators. The RFD and FFD devices connect to each other, while the final connection is made with the coordinator or gateway.

Mesh networks have several im-portant attributes for reliable commu-nication; specifically range extension, re-routing and persistence. The reach of an individual radio is extended in mesh networks by enabling node to node communication. In figure 1, each node has a working range of 10 meters, but with meshing, the reach of the network

is extended to 30 meters. This ability to extend range increases communication reliability by ensuring that nodes are “in-range” and networks are preserved.

A second key attribute of mesh networks includes re-routing, or self-healing. Many of you have expe-rienced an unexpected event while driving a car — perhaps a highway exit is closed for repairs, or an unfamiliar street takes you in the wrong direction. In these situations, we usually turn to our mobile phone’s mapping app, which typically offers an alternative route. That is the idea behind 802.15.4 mesh network re-routing.

In wireless networks, there are many issues that arise, such as dead batte-ries, temporary interference caused by human movement, permanent interfe-rence caused by changes in the envi-ronment, new nodes being introduced into the network and more. When these disturbances occur, mesh networks based on the 802.15.4 standard can self-heal. In other words, the connec-tion from the node to the coordinator can be re-routed through a different FFD that offers a more optimal path. This feature dramatically improves the strength of the network and therefore the reliability of the communication.

A third benefit of nodes in 802.15.4 mesh networks is persistence. Unlike network technologies such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi® which “age-out” uncom-

municative nodes within the network, 802.15.4 networks feature permanent membership, allowing nodes to stop communicating for extended periods of time. A node may sleep for a week, then wake, immediately join the network and transmit data — in as little as 30 millise-conds. This is a tremendous advantage for power consumption. Transmitting and listening functions consume most of the power in IoT devices, therefore this feature greatly reduces the ratio of radio-to-sleep activity.

FREQUENCY MATTERS FOR RELIABILITYThere is an inverse relationship between radio carrier frequency and its ability to penetrate solid objects in the immediate environment. The most highly used frequency today is 2.4 GHz. This is the frequency used throughout our homes for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® and microwave ovens. This frequency band is known for its high data rate transmission, but due to the relatively poor penetration that 2.4 GHz offers over lower frequen-cy bands, it’s also likely to run into coverage issues throughout the home. However, the unlicensed 800-/900-MHz bands offer superior penetration ability, at lower data rates, when used in environments with solid objects such as walls, trees, furniture and doors. Therefore, sub-GHz frequencies offer superior performance when looking to

Hello…Are You There?How to prevent dropped communication in critical IoT applicationsBy Jason Tollefson, Sr. Product Marketing Manager

Figure 1: Range extension in mesh networks.


IoT

build a network that can perform well in harsh or confined environments.

Figure 2 illustrates the powerful com-bination of sub-GHz frequencies with mesh networking technology.

OK, I HEAR YOU NOW By combining the excellent penetra-tion of sub-GHzs with 802.15.4 mesh networking, the communication network is loud and clear. The signal is routed to the coordinator through the best path, infiltrating barriers, recovering from changes in the environment and preserving its power until it needs to send data. This combination results in a robust, reliable and long-life communi-cation network.

DEPLOYING ROBUST IOTToday, most 802.15.4 radios are based on 2.4 GHz and only take advantage of a few benefits we previously discussed. Products, like Microchip’s ATSAMR30 family of microcontroller units (MCUs), are integrated with IEEE 802.15.4 com-pliant radio for the sub-1 GHz frequen-cy bands. There is a small module that can be easily implemented into appli-cations offering regulatory certification for North America, Europe and China. With 256KB of flash, the ATSAMR30 devices can easily run mesh stacks such as MiWi, while still accommoda-

ting application code for security, home automation, lighting and metering applications.

STAYING IN TOUCHIt’s important to communicate clearly and reliably, especially when the infor-mation can be life-changing. By using mesh networks based on 802.15.4 and sub-GHz frequencies, nodes will stay reliably connected within the IoT network. Networks like those offered in the ATSAMR30 family of MCUs with sub-GHz radio help ensure critical pieces are in place for information to be reliably transferred in changing environ-ments when needed, all while sustai-ning long battery life.

SOURCES● 802.15.4 Primer

https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/connectivity/ieee-802-15-4-wireless/basics-tutorial-primer.php

● Range & Penetration Characteristics of RF http://www.l-com.com/content/wire-less-frequency-overview-chart.pdf

● ISM Bands https://blog.pasternack.com/uncate-gorized/what-are-the-ism-bands-and-what-are-they-used-for

www.microchip.com

Figure 2: Traditional 2.4 GHz networks (Left) versus sub-GHz mesh networks (Right)

Report finds that European 5G infrastructure market set to soarA recent report from Allied Market Research finds that the availability of M2M/IoT connections and a surge in demand for mobile broadband services in Europe is facilitating the growth of the European 5G infrastructure market.

According to the report, the European 5G infrastructure industry generated nearly $147.5 million in 2018, and is ex-pected to reach $27.74 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 96.2% from 2019 to 2026.

However, the report notes that the slow pace of digitiza-tion in Europe hinders market growth. On the other hand, an increase in government initiatives for development of smart cities create new opportunities in the industry.

Based on network technology, the SDN and NFV segment contributed the highest market share in the European 5G infrastructure market in 2018, accounting for nearly half of the total share, and is estimated to maintain its leadership posi-tion throughout the forecast period. This is due to its ability to minimize hardware constraints.

One particular area, the self-organizing network segment, is expected to register the largest CAGR of 108.4% from 2019 to 2026, owing to considerable requirements for increased mobile data transfer rate.

Based on chipset type, the ASIC segment accounted for nearly half of the total share of the European 5G infrastruc-ture market in 2018, and will maintain its highest position by 2026. This is due to its high efficiency in providing for a single application. However, the report finds that the FPGA segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 100.4% from 2019 to 2026, owing to availability of extensive products, systems and solutions based on FPGA devices, configurable, ready-to-use IP cores, and advanced software for markets and applications.

Based on region, Germany accounted for the major market share, contributing for nearly one-fourth of the total share of the Europe 5G infrastructure market in 2018, and will main-tain its dominant position during the forecast period. This is attributed to the presence of German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom that won a 5G spectrum block auction. On the other hand, Sweden is expected to register the largest growth rate with a CAGR of 115.0% from 2019 to 2026, owing to the presence of Ericsson, one of the highest ranked telecom equipment suppliers.

www.alliedmarketresearch.com


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LoRa device based electricity metering cuts energy use

Semtech Corporation has announced that IHM Pacific and Andrea Informatique have collaborated to develop a new LoRa-based electricity metering system based on its LoRa® devices and the LoRaWAN® protocol. Deployments of the Lo-Ra-based metering system have been ongoing for over a year and are increasing in New Caledonia and some parts of the Pacific and Europe.

IHM Pacific is a developer of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for the smart utility metering and smart building vertical markets, while Andrea Informatique is a consultancy firm specializing in new technology and software design,

“Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol allowed us to create me-tering solutions that offer significant advantages for sustainable, cost-saving utility metering,” said Francois Ista, CEO of IHM Pacific. “Real-time data on energy use provided by our LoRaWAN-connected meters enable customers to closely monitor usage trends. By addressing wasteful habits to increase energy efficiency, our cus-tomers typically receive a return on investment (ROI) in three months to six months following deployment of up to 26 percent.”

“LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol enable the simplified development and acceleration of products to market that provide real advantages over traditio-nal utility metering,” said Juan Camacho, CEO of Andrea Informatique. “LoRaWAN provides the connectivity for customers to experience the benefits of flexible, sca-lable and long-range IoT applications for their utility grid. These metering systems deploy easily so utility providers can focus on growing their networks while saving on installation cost.”

IHM Pacific and Andrea Informatique’s electricity meters leverage LoRa devices form Semtech and the LoRaWAN protocol to offer significant improvements over traditional metering in both applications of electricity metering for utilities and sub metering. LoRa-based smart meters do not require additional external cabling (IP, RS485 or pulse network cabling). This allows for greater ease of installation with systems to quickly deploy in 2 DIN rails, a standard mount for meter equipment racks. Simplified deployment significantly reduces the cost of installation for the customer, which typically accounts for 40 percent of the total cost of ownership.

In addition, the reliable usage data provided by LoRaWAN-based systems enable customers to understand their energy consumption in real time. Due to the remote monitoring of electrical consumption and a vast collection of measure-ment data including the active energy consumed and produced to detect abnor-mal consumption trends and adjust usage rates, customers usually see up to 26 percent reduction in power consumption within three to six months of deployment.

www.andrea.frwww.ihmpacific.netwww.semtech.com


GPS Spoofing

As technological advances make GPS/GNSS devices more affordable, our lives are becoming increasingly de-pendent on precise positioning and timing. Industries such as survey, construction and logistics rely on pre-cise positioning for automation, efficien-cy and safety.

GNSS time provides the pulsating heartbeat for the backbone of our industry by synchronizing telecom networks, banks and the power grid. A single day of GNSS outage is estimated to cost 1 billion dollars in US alone. GNSS is a reliable system, and to keep it as such professional GNSS receivers need to be wary of all possible vulne-rabilities which could be exploited. Using GNSS receivers which are robust against jamming and spoofing is key for secure PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Time).

GNSS refers to the constellations of satellites broadcasting signals from space that transmit positioning and timing information to GNSS receivers on Earth. The receivers then use this information to determine their location. These systems include the Ameri-can GPS, European Galileo, Russian GLONASS, Chinese BeiDou, Japanese QZSS (Michibiki) and the Indian NAVIC system. "

WHAT IS GPS/GNSS SPOOFING? Radio interference can overpower weak GNSS signals, causing satellite signal loss and potentially loss of positio-ning. Spoofing, is an intelligent form of interference which makes the receiver believe it is at a false location. During a spoofing attack a radio transmitter located nearby sends fake GPS signals into the target receiver. For example, a cheap SDR (Software Defined Radio) can make a smartphone believe it’s on Mount Everest!

WHY GPS SPOOFING? Imagine a combat situation. Clearly, the side which uses GPS/GNSS technolo-gy would have an advantage over the side which does not. But what if one

side could manipulate GPS receivers of their adversary? This could mean taking over control of autonomous vehicles and robotic devices which rely on GPS positioning. For example, in October 2018, Russia accused the US of spoo-fing a drone and redirecting it to attack a Russian air base in Syria.

In the last 3 years over 600 incidents of spoofing have been recorded in the seas near the Russian border. These ships appeared to be “transported” to nearby airports. This type of spoofing might have been introduced as a de-fense mechanism to ground spy drones. Most semi-professional drones on the market have a built-in geo-fencing mechanism which lands them automa-tically if they come close to airports or other restricted areas.

Some of the most enthusiastic spoo-fers are Pokémon GO fans who use cheap SDRs (Software Defined Radios) to spoof their GPS position and catch elusive pokémon without having to leave their room.

TYPES OF SPOOFINGSpoofers overpower relatively weak GNSS signals with radio signals carrying false positioning information. There are two ways of spoofing:

● Rebroadcasting GNSS signals recorded at another place or time (so-called meaconing);

● Generating and transmitting modi-fied satellite signals.

SPOOF-PROOF: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR RECEIVER AGAINST SPOOFING?In order to combat spoofing, GNSS receivers need to detect spoofed signals out of a mix of authentic and spoofed signals. Once a satellite signal is flagged as spoo-fed, it can be excluded from positioning calcula-tion. There are various le-vels of spoofing protection

that a receiver can offer. Let’s compare it to a house intrusion detection system. You can have a simple entry alarm system or a more complex movement detection system. For added security you might install video image recogni-tion, breaking-glass sound detection or a combination of the above.

Like a house with an open door, an unprotected GNSS receiver is vulne-rable to even the simplest forms of spoofing. Secured receivers, on the other hand, can detect spoofing by looking for signal anomalies, or by using signals designed to prevent spoo-fing such as Galileo OS-NMA and E6 or the GPS military code.

Advanced interference mitigation technologies, such as the Septentrio AIM+, use signal-processing algorithms to flag spoofing by detecting various anomalies in the signal. For example, a spoofed signal is usually more powerful than an authentic GNSS signal.

What is spoofing and how to ensure GPS security?By Maria Simsky, Septentrio

Figure 1: A cheap SDR can make a smartphone believe it’s on Mount Everest!

Figure 2: GNSS spoofing could be used to manipulate movement of aerial drones.


GPS Spoofing

AIM+ won’t even be fooled by an ad-vanced GNSS signal generator: Spirent GSS9000. With realistic power levels and with actual navigation data within the signal, AIM+ can identify it as a “non-authentic” signal. Other advanced anti-spoofing techniques such as using a dual-polarized antenna are being researched today.

SATELLITE NAVIGATION DATA AUTHENTICATIONVarious countries invest in spoofing re-silience by building security directly into their GNSS satellites. With OS-NMA (Open Service Navigation Message Au-thentication), Galileo is the first satellite system to introduce an anti-spoofing service directly on a civil GNSS signal.

OS-NMA is a free service on the Ga-lileo E1 frequency. It enables authenti-cation of the navigation data on Galileo and even GPS satellites. Such navi-gation data carries information about satellite location and if altered will result in wrong receiver positioning compu-tation. While currently in development, OS-NMA is planned to become publicly available in the near future. Also GPS is experimenting with satellite based an-

ti-spoofing for civil users with their recent Chimera authentication system.

Recently, within the scope of the FANTASTIC project led by GSA, OS-NMA anti-spoofing pro-tection was implemented on a Septentrio receiver.

THE STRONGEST SHIELD: SIGNAL-LEVEL GNSS AUTHENTICATION The Galileo system will be offering Commercial Authentication Service (CAS) on the E6 signal with the highest level of security for safety-criti-cal applications such as autonomous vehicles. The signal level encryption will be based on similar techniques as the military GPS signals. Only the receivers who have the secret key are able to track such encrypted signals. The secret key is also needed to generate the signal ma-king it impossible to fake. CAS authen-tication techniques are currently being prototyped at Septentrio in collabora-

tion with the European Space Agency. Spoof-resilient GNSS means reliable precise positioning and timing, and a peace of mind for everyone touched by this indispensable technology.

ABOUT THE AUTHORMaria Simsky is Technical Writer at Septentrio – www.septentrio.com

Figure 3: European Galileo satellites provide an open authentication service on the E1 signal and a commer-cial authentication service on the E6 signal. Picture, courtesy of the European Space Agency.

Microwave imager chip based on standard semiconductor processUsing a standard semiconductor fabrication process, resear-chers from the University of Pennsylvania have designed a microwave imager chip that could one day enable low-cost handheld microwave imagers, or cameras.

In the Optica journal, their paper “Single-chip nanophotonic near-field imager” describes a 2- x 2-mm microwave imager chip containing more than 1,000 photonic components such as waveguides, directional couplers, photodiodes and ring modulators. The 121-element imager integrated on a silicon chip is capable of simultaneous processing of ultra-wideband microwave signals and achieves 4.8° spatial resolution for near-field imaging, while being orders of magnitude smaller than alternative benchtop implementations.

The imager uses four antennas to receive microwave signals reflected from an object. These microwave signals are then encoded into an optical signal and are optically pro-cessed, emulating a microwave lens, to form an image. One of the essential components is the optical delay element network used for signal processing, which consists of more than 280 delay cells.

"This system is significantly smaller and more efficient than its electronic equivalent because the delay cells are more than 10 times smaller and more than 10 times more efficient," said Farshid Ashtiani, a graduate student in Aflatouni's group and coauthor on the paper. "They can also operate with significant-ly shorter microwave pulses, which produces higher imaging resolution."

"Today's practical microwave imagers are bench-top sys-tems that are bulky and expensive," said research team leader Firooz Aflatouni from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. "Our new near-field imager uses optical, rather than electronic, de-vices to process the microwave signal. This enabled us to make a chip-based imager similar to the optical camera chips in many smartphones."

Hand-held near-field microwave imagers would be useful for many applications including high-resolution brain imaging and monitoring heart motion and breathing. Miniaturization of microwave imagers would also benefit applications such as tracking objects in radar systems and low-power, high-speed communication links.

As a demonstration, the microwave imager was used to detect objects with metallic surfaces, including metallic squares measuring 24 centimeters on each side and the UPenn logo. After short microwave pulses illuminated each object placed in front of the imager, the four antennas received the reflected si-gnals, which were used to form the image of each target object.

Now that they've demonstrated a chip-based microwave imager, the researchers plan to increase the number of pixels by upping the number of on-chip delay lines, using more advanced fabrication technologies and stitching together smaller images. They also want to use shorter microwave pulses to achieve higher resolution.

www.upenn.edu


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SDR for sub-THz systemsenables 6G testbed

National Instruments (NI) has launched a real-time sub THz software-defined radio (SDR) for 6G research, built around the company’s mmWave Transceiver System (MTS) and Virginia Diodes’ radio heads.

Using Virginia Diodes (VDI) radio heads, the frequency range of the MTS can extend into the sub THz range. Because the 6G testbed is built using SDRs and FPGAs, the software can be upgraded and customized to meet a wide range of research needs and applications.

Developers can use existing software reference designs for channel sounding or wireless communications protocols to create a real-time testbed for 6G research. The development cycle of a typical wireless standard is approximately 10 years. As the commercial rollout of 5G begins in 2019, wireless communications researchers are already investigating the technology and ideas that will serve as the foundation of 6G. The use of sub THz and THz frequencies has numerous applications for communications and is likely to be a major area of 6G research in the foreseeable future.

The NI and VDI sub THz testbed pro-vides up to 2 GHz instantaneous band-width and frequency ranges between 110–170 GHz. NI offers two software reference designs built around the NI MTS—one for channel sounding and one for a single carrier physical layer com-munications link. The channel sounding reference design is intended for a single transmitter, single receiver configuration and enables users to take basic channel sounding measurements, such as chan-nel impulse response, time of arrival and path loss. The single carrier physical layer is designed for systems in SISO configu-rations up to 4x4 MIMO configurations with 2 GHz of real-time bandwidth. All signal processing, including coding, occurs in real-time on FPGAs added to the base MTS system.

www.ni.com

ORAN-compliant RRUwith 7.2 VRAN function splitPromoting widespread adoption of emer-ging open ORAN standards, the latest remote radio unit (RRU) from Benetel addresses the migration from closed proprietary interface protocols.

Supporting the open radio access network (ORAN) 1.0 interface specifi-cation, the BNTL-RAN100-3-1L RRU will encourage innovation and provide communication system integrators and network operators with far greater system flexibility.

The lab-oriented unit gives enginee-ring teams access to all the core fea-tures necessary to undertake initial experiments with ORAN-based network infrastructure – particularly in relation to providing superior indoor cellular coverage. The BNTL-RAN100-3-1L is intended for 7.2 split front haul network implementation and has a connection data rate of 10 Gbps. Running off a 12 VDC supply and drawing less than 40-W of power during operation, this compact (240- x 240- x 60-mm), highly robust unit supports 2x2 multiple-input multi-ple-output (MIMO) streams. It supports a 20 MHz bandwidth and a +21 dBm per antenna port transmission output.

Thanks to a modular architecture, engineers using the new unit have scope to swap different radio modules from the Benetel portfolio to optimize designs for specific frequency and transmit power criteria. The result is a highly versatile platform which reduces engineering overheads, allows far greater design reuse and accelerates time to market, as well as offering the ability to rapidly scale up production as demand dictates.

“Operators and service providers are recognizing the value that ORAN can bring to their future business operations, as it will allow them to break away from their current reliance on proprietary

interface specifications and better attend to the actual needs of their customer base,” states Richard Houlihan, Director of Product Management at Benetel. “This new RRU presents operators with a foun-dation upon which to check the validity of different network implementations, deve-lop exciting new end-to end solutions, and tap into the growing ecosystem that is building up around ORAN.”

Richard adds: “Following on from this release, we will be adding further capabilities to the product series over time. Among these will be IEEE 1588v2 synchronization, Power-over-Ethernet and 5G radio modules”.

www.benetel.com

Dual frequency GNSS moduleenables sub-1m accuracy

OriginGPS has announced its first dual-frequency GNSS module, the ORG4600-B01, which will enable cus-tomers to build systems with sub-1m accuracy without implementing external components.

Measuring just 10- x 10-mm, the ORG4600-B01 module supports L1 + L5 GNSS reception with one RF port, enabling the use of a low-cost, dual-band antenna delivering sub-1m accuracy per-formance in real-world operating condi-tions. An alternate build option allows for separate L1/L5 RF outputs when dual antennas are required. The module is ideally suited for systems requiring ultra-accurate positioning, such as telema-tics, IoT and OBD applications.

OriginGPS collaborated with Broadcom to create a new miniature module with L1 + L5 support provided by the BCM47758 chip, enabling ultra-accurate GNSS posi-tioning. The module was developed for solutions requiring super-precision GNSS and a dual frequency combination.

"This year has seen several satellites launched into orbit every month, most of them fitted with L5/E5 capabilities, and the Chinese and European Union


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governments plan to have their satellite constellations fully operational by 2020. Developing the ORG4600-B01 module with the BCM47758 GNSS receiver chip by Broadcom was the fastest and surest way to add a high quality dual frequency module to our portfolio and meet our customers' increasing requirements for ultra-accurate GNSS modules," said Haim Goldberger, CEO of OriginGPS.

www.origingps.com

Bluetooth module portfoliocovers ultra-long range to indoor locationSwiss company, u-blox has further underlined its continued commitment to Bluetooth® low energy innovation by expanding the BMD product series that it recently acquired from Rigado.

The three latest additions to the u-blox BMD Bluetooth module series, the BMD-341, the BMD-345 and the BMD-360, enable a host of new applications,

from high precision indoor positioning to medical and industrial applications in challenging signal environments.

Fully compliant with the latest Blue-tooth v5.1 specification, the BMD-360 module is the first u-blox Bluetooth module to support Bluetooth’s direction finding feature. The BMD-360 is highly optimized for cost sensitive, long range beacon applications, asset tags for smart building and smart manufacturing sys-tems, Internet of Things (IoT) infrastruc-ture, warehouse logistics, and many other high precision, indoor location-based services. Central to its functional capa-bilities is the nRF52811 system-on-chip

(SoC) from Nordic Semiconductor. This incorporates a 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M4 processor running at 64 MHz, and a built-in antenna element.

The BMD-360 is complemented by the BMD-345 and BMD-341 Bluetooth 5.0 modules, both of which are built around Nordic’s nRF52840 SoC. Both modules feature a U.FL connector for applications requiring an external antenna. This makes them ideal for deployments in challenging use cases, such as medical and industrial devices built into metal enclosures.

Pushing the long range performance even further with its embedded power amplifier and a low noise amplifier, the BMD-345 will play a pivotal role in use cases requiring best-in-class link budget for extended coverage and enhanced signal quality. These use cases can for instance include agriculture, asset tracking systems, and Bluetooth-based mesh networks repeaters, enhancing their operational range and their ability to deal with obstacles.

The BMD-341 and BMD-345 are both pin and footprint compatible with all other BDM-34x products, thereby facili-

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tating design upgrades or the design of product variants with different antenna types and ranges. The BMD-360 is fully compatible with the BMD-330, BMD-300 and BMD-301.

www.u-blox.com

60-GHz wide-band radar sensorscompact, low-power

Using the 60-GHz frequency band, the SC1220 series of ranging radar sensors from Socionext Europe GmbH detects an individual’s location and movement with very high accuracy and precision.

The latest addition to the company’s family of radar sensors, the SC1220 series is are now sampling, with volume production scheduled in the second quarter of 2020.

The SC1220 series radar sensors comply with the new 60-GHz wireless equipment band, which is available in North America and Europe. High-pre-cision sensing using a 7 GHz (57 to 64 GHz) bandwidth allows the SC1220 series to detect a person’s location as well as very minute movements. These capabilities make the series ideal for advanced applications such as operating appliances using hand gestures. Since the radar sensors are generally not sus-ceptible to environmental conditions such as temperature and light fluctuations, they can be used in a variety of applica-tions, including smart home devices.

By leveraging the expertise gained through the development of millime-ter-wave wireless communication ICs and 24 GHz radar sensors, Socionext was the first company worldwide to develop 60 GHz radar sensor in a small package of only 7- x 7- x 0.83-mm. The sensors also operate with very low power consump-tion of 1 to 2.5mW.

The SC1220 radar sensors are highly-integrated and easy-to-use devices that incorporate antenna, wire-less circuit, A/D converter, FIFO memory, SPI interface and intelligent power

control sequencer for flexible duty cycle control, and do not require advanced knowledge by users in handling high-fre-quency devices.

Two types of products are now avai-lable. The "SC1220AT2" detects three-di-mensional movements such as the lifting and lowering of a person's hands. The "SC1221AR3" specializes in high-pre-cision detection of two-dimensional movements, and is capable of detecting multiple moving objects in a specific area.

ww.socionext.com

Software IP probespeeds up network analytics

R&S®Net Sensor OEM is a software IP probe from ipoque GmbH, a Rohde & Schwarz company, that enables network analytics vendors to innovate faster and shorten time to market.

Designed with unique flexibility, scalabi-lity and versatility, the IP probe, based on deep packet inspection (DPI) technology, meets the demands of network analytics and cybersecurity vendors, as well as those of system integrators, regardless of set up and use case.

Network analytics vendors are dealing with growing traffic rates and stagnating budgets, while the communications indus-try demands evermore advanced solu-tions with customized use cases. In this sensitive market situation, building your own IP probing system can turn out inef-ficient and even risky, while many third-party IP probes require high integration and adaptation efforts. To address these needs, Rohde & Schwarz offers the new OEM software IP probe, a lightweight and customizable product that is scalable to meet every demand. In this way, vendors can include customized probing functiona-lities in their systems without development efforts – unlocking time and money to concentrate on their core competencies.

With the market-leading DPI engine R&S®PACE 2 and a fast packet-proces-sing library at the core of R&S®Net Sensor OEM, vendors obtain real-time visibility

into both plain and encrypted network traf-fic, as well as information on traffic KPIs. Weekly signature updates ensure that traffic classification is always up-to-date. User and control plane correlation allows resolving network data at the subscriber level and gaining insights into subscriber behavior for analytics use cases.

Optional modules like a GUI, a database or additional aggregation and correlation functions can be flexibly added on demand, adapted to individual use cases. Mobile, fixed line and pcap support, granular reports in real time or aggregated values as big data input enable versatile deployments. Scalable up to several Tbps, the solution also offers improved performance. A single reporting interface, even in deployments with multiple probes, helps to minimize integration efforts.

With open APIs, flexible data export functions and dedicated technical sup-port teams, R&S®Net Sensor OEM is designed to be seamlessly integrated into every analytics system. The installation is cost-efficient thanks to COTS hardware and virtualization.

www.ipoque.com

Startup launches 5G reflector and boostersMetawave Corp., an automotive radar and 5G wireless startup based in Palo Alto, CA, has launched its Echo passive reflector and Turbo active relay amplifi-cation products for 5G wireless commu-nications. Applications for Metawave’s Echo passive reflector include extending 5GNR’s range to service dead zones, and to bend and point signals around corners and connect to backhaul radios. Turbo active relays amplification is able to extend signals by about 150m under bridges and through thick glass. By mounting Turbo and Echo between towers and desired areas, Metawave increases signal strength inside malls, in office buildings, and in highly congested usage areas.

Echo has been field tested by NTT Docomo who found a 10x increase in communications speed out-of-doors in Tokyo.

Metawave is deploying these plat-forms with US and Japanese carriers and infrastructure companies operating at 24GHz and higher, the company said. Repeaters and relays will be critical to extend 5G coverage while maintaining reliable links and making it suitable to


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support V2x and V2V communications, Metawave asserted.

The 5G infrastructure market is expec-ted to grow from $528 million in 2019 to $3.5 billion in 2025, a CAGR of 37.1 percent over the period.

www.metawave.co

Two channel attenuator assembly covers 100 MHz to 18 GHzJFW model 50BA-043-63 SMA is a two-channel attenuator assembly that covers 100 MHz to 18 GHz. Each RF channel consists of a solid-state program-mable attenuator with attenuation ranging 0 to 63 dB in 0.5 dB increments.

The attenuators can be controlled indi-vidually or as a group by Ethernet, RS-232 (GUI provided), or manually via momentary toggle switches on the front panel.

www.jfwindustries.com

Bluetooth 5.1 SoCqualified 105ºC operation

The nRF52833 SoC from Nordic Semi-conductor is an advanced multiprotocol System-on-Chip (SoC) featuring ultra low power Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE), Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4-GHz proprie-tary wireless connectivity.

The chip includes a Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding-capable radio and is qualified for operation across a -40 to 105ºC temperature range. The nRF52833 features a 64-MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor with FPU and includes a gene-rous amount of Flash (512 KB) and RAM (128 KB) memory making it a suitable option for a wide range of commercial and industrial wireless applications.

The SoC's large amount of Flash and RAM memory supports a dynamic multi-protocol capability which is an advantage for applications such as professional lighting where concurrent Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth mesh/Thread/Zigbee

support enables provisioning, commis-sioning, and interaction with a lighting mesh network from a smartphone using Bluetooth LE. The SoC's 105oC capability brings a further advantage for professional lighting applications which typically feature elevated ambient temperatures. Advanced features include Full-Speed USB, High-Speed SPI, and +8dBm output power. The SoC includes up to 42 GPIOs and a range of analog and digital interfaces such as an NFC-A Tag, ADC, UART/SPI/TWI, PWM, I2S, and PDM. The device has a two-stage LDO voltage regulator and a DC-DC converter with a 1.7 to 5.5-V input supply range, allowing the nRF52833 SoC to be powered by coin-cells, rechargeable batteries, or the on-chip USB.

nRF52833 engineering samples are available now with volume production Q4, 2019. The SoC will be made available in three different packages: a 7- x 7-mm aQFN73 with 42 GPIOs, a 5x5mm QFN40 with 18 GPIOs and a 3.2- x 3.2-mm wlCSP with 42 GPIOs.

www.nordicsemi.com

LoRa development packsjump-start projectsSTMicroelectronics has introduced two $99 ready-to-use development packs that enable all types of users from large corporations to independent designers or even schools to utilize LoRa’s long-range, low-power wireless IoT connectivity.

The two packs provide a complete LoRaWAN development chain including gateway and end-node boards, firmware, and tools, leveraging ST’s convenient and proven STM32 Nucleo evaluation boards. Catering separately for regions with 868-MHz/915-MHz/923-MHz and sub-550-MHz ISM frequency bands, each pack includes proprietary gateway sof-tware and ST’s I-Cube-LRWAN end-node software. The node and gateway boards come with an antenna and on-board debugger. The LoRa gateway included in each pack is built with an STM32 Nucleo-144 development board, Nucleo-F746ZG, which contains an STM32F746ZGT6 microcontroller (MCU). Unlike with a com-mercial gateway, users can easily access device pins to assist development. The gateway acts as a basic packet forwarder to enable data coming from the develop-ment node to reach LoRaWAN network servers. ST has established agreements with LoRaWAN network-server providers Loriot, Actility, and The Things Network to

let users connect their gateways to basic network-server capabilities free of charge. Users can also visualize sensor data and control devices with the myDevices Cayenne for LoRa IoT Builder dashboard.

Nodes are based on the Nucleo-L073RZ Nucleo-64 board built around the STM32L073RZT6 ultra-low-power MCU and come with a battery socket for easy mobility. Each pack includes a LoRa node expansion board, which contains an ultra-low-power STM32-powered module running an AT-command stack. A selection of motion and environmental sensors is also provided on-board.

The P-Nucleo-LRWAN2 pack is for high-frequency (868-MHz/915-MHz/923-MHz) ISM bands. It comes with the I-Nucleo-LRWAN1 node expansion board designed by USI, which combines an STM32L0-powered module with ST’s sensor devices inclu-ding the LSM303AGR MEMS e-compass (accelerometer/magnetometer), LPS22HB pressure sensor, and ST HTS221 tem-perature and humidity sensor. The P-Nucleo-LRWAN3 pack for low-fre-quency (433/470MHz) ISM regions comes with a node expansion board embed-ding the STM32L0-powered RisingHF module RHF0M003, together with an ST LSM6DS33D accelerometer, ST LPS22HB pressure sensor, and HTS221 temperature and humidity sensor.

www.st.com

NI cuts test times for 5G mmWave OTA validationNI has launched a hardware-accelerated 5G mmWave OTA Validation Test reference architecture for thorough characterization and validation of 5G mmWave beamfor-ming AiP devices.

The reference architecture achieves fast speeds for OTA spatial sweeps in the 5G mmWave bands from 24 to 44 GHz, helping users significantly reduce OTA RF validation test times for AiP devices, compared to traditional point-by-point, software-controlled test systems. This new reference architecture gives characte-rization and validation engineers working on the latest 5G AiP devices the advan-tage of addressing their devices’ beamfor-ming performance with wider and more complex 5G NR signals while shortening development schedules.

The companys fast OTA test approach helps engineers use denser spatial grids and obtain finer 3D spatial resolution while keeping test times low. Furthermore,



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with NI’s mmWave OTA Validation Test Software, validation engineers can quickly configure these extensive spatial sweeps to characterize their device’s antenna patterns as they produce, visualize, store or distribute detailed parametric results.

“In the rapidly evolving 5G mmWave semiconductor industry, test systems need to be ready for a new class of 5G beamforming devices,” said Alastair Upton, chief strategy officer at Anokiwave. “Engineers will need fast, accurate and fairly-priced tools to measure and ensure device beamforming performance so that the next generation of mmWave semi-conductors can reach its global potential.”

The mmWave OTA Validation Test refe-rence architecture includes:● A mmWave VST for wideband RF signal

generation and measurement;● PXI instruments for repeatable and pre-

cise motion control;● Isolated RF chamber for true far-field

radiated testing in a quiet environment;● The mmWave OTA Validation Test Sof-

tware for interactive use and automa-tion.

The release of the mmWave OTA Validation Test reference architecture is part of a continued endeavor to expand test coverage of 5G mmWave devices while helping customers lower their cost of test and shorten their time to market. It complements the company’s modular instrumentation portfolio and measure-ment software for characterization and validation of the latest 5G RFIC devices, from sub-6 GHz to mmWave.

www.ni.com

Supercomputing platformaccelerates AI, IoT, 5G at the edgeNvidia (Santa Clara, CA) has announced a high-performance, cloud-native super-computing platform designed to accele-rate AI, IoT, and 5G at the edge.

Combining Nvidia CUDA-X software with Nvidia-certified GPU servers and devices, the Nvidia EGX Edge Super-computing Platform , says the company, lets organizations harness rapidly strea-ming data from factory floors, manufac-turing inspection lines, and city streets to securely deliver next-generation AI, IoT, and 5G-based services at scale, with low latency.

“We've entered a new era, where billions of always-on IoT sensors will be connected by 5G and processed by

AI," says Jensen Huang, Nvidia founder and CEO. "Its foundation requires a new class of highly secure, networked com-puters operated with ease from far away. We've created the Nvidia EGX Edge Supercomputing Platform for this world, where computing moves beyond perso-nal and beyond the cloud to operate at planetary scale."

The platform software supports a wide range of applications, including Nvidia Metropolis, which can be used to build smart cities and intelligent video analytics applications, as well as the just-announced Nvidia Aerial software developer kit, which allows telcos to build completely virtualized 5G radio access networks. The EGX ecosystem includes more than 100 technology com-panies worldwide, says the company, and the EGX software stack architecture is supported by leading hybrid-cloud partners Canonical, Cisco, Nutanix, Red Hat, and VMware.

Early adopters of the platform include Walmart, BMW, Procter & Gamble, Sam-sung Electronics and NTT East, as well as the cities of San Francisco and Las Vegas.

www.nvidia.com

Spectrum analyzercombines performance with ease-of-use

The SSA3000X-plus spectrum analyzer from Siglent Technologies combines the performance and reliability of the highly successful SSA3000X series with the features and ease of use of the SVA1000X series.

Sigelent Technologies has launched a spectrum analyzer family that adds ease of use to its high performance platform.

The Spectrum & Vector Network Ana-lyzer SVA1032X family is available with bandwidths from 9 kHz to 2.1 GHz. With the smallest resolution bandwidth (RBW) of 1 Hz, a noise level of -161 dBm can be displayed. Together with the amplitude accuracy of <0.7 dB, even the smallest signals just above the noise of the device can be detected and measured.

The "advanced measurements" option that combines the SSA3000X and AMK has also been extended with two addi-tional measurements. In addition to the previous measurements of channel power (CP), adjacent channel power (ACPR), occupied bandwidth (OBW), TOI and waterfall diagram (monitor), the harmonic and carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) mea-surements are now also implemented. The available EMC option offers EMI filter bandwidths of 200Hz, 9 kHz, 120 kHz and 1 MHz as well as the quasi-peak detector defined in CISPR.

In addition to the improvements and additions to the well-known functions, a completely new function has been added to the SSA3000X-plus. So, now there is a vector signal analysis option for analog and digital modulations (SSA3000X plus-AMA/DMA) available. This can be used, for example, to measure the error vector magnitude (EVM) of PSK, MSK or QAM modulated signals.

www.siglenteu.com

Power amplifiers for Bluetooth 5 and ThreadMouser Electronics is now stocking the BL654PA (Power Amplified) module from Laird Connectivity.

The FCC, IC, RCM, KC, and Bluetooth SIG-certified module allows engineers to implement single-mode Bluetooth 5 and Thread (802.15.4) technology into simple Bluetooth Low Energy designs. The Laird BL654PA is based on the highly flexible multi-protocol Nordic nRF52840 system-on-chip (SoC), which features a powerful Arm Cortex-M4F core and a multipro-tocol radio that supports Bluetooth 5, ANT/ANT+, and proprietary 2.4 GHz networking. The BL654PA module offers extended wireless range with transmit power +18 dBm, configurable down to -26 dBm. The unit provides design flexibility with several programming options, inclu-ding Laird’s smartBASIC language which enables fast and efficient Bluetooth Low Energy development.

www.mouser.com


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