WLAN Testing for Performance Evaluation

To improve customer satisfaction and brand image

With the spread of IoT technologies, more and more devices are connecting to the Internet. Most of these devices have a wireless LAN (WLAN) module that complies with the IEEE 802.11 standard. The use of the 6 GHz broadband channel introduced in Wi-Fi 6E (IEEE 802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) is key to even faster speeds and more stable connectivity.

Importance of Wireless LAN Product Performance Evaluation

Thorough wlan testing is indispensable for maintaining the communications quality of wireless LAN products in an increasingly connected world.

The rapidly growing number of IoT devices means that multiple devices need to connect to a single Access Point (AP) simultaneously. Nevertheless, IoT devices, which conform to IEEE 802.11ax and 802.11be, can stably connect to a single AP even in the presence of many other devices. However, simply checking the WLAN device connection to the AP is insufficient to maintain the connection quality, given that the following problems would arise.

Factors other than RF performance also affect the throughput of IoT devices.
Even if the throughput confirmed by the AP is not a problem, external noise can degrade RF performance and connectivity.

To overcome these problems, RF performance should be quantitatively evaluated with different IoT device throughput settings. In addition, evaluating the performance at each stage of the development process is indispensable for releasing WLAN products as competitive solutions. This process is expected to prevent design backtracking and reduce development person-hours. Furthermore, stabilizing the communication quality of the products will satisfy customers and improve brand image.

Testing Solutions for Each Development Process of Wireless LAN Products

Ensuring product quality requires testing in each stage of the product development process. The following table shows examples of performance evaluations in each stage.

Table: Product development process and tests required to evaluate performance

Process	Procedure	Required Test
Product development	Parts selection	Module comparison tests
	Product design and Development volume	RF Performance tests OTA (Antenna performance) tests
	Certification	Regulatory certification test Interconnectivity certification test
Product release	After commercial release	Evaluation at Mass-production
		Regression Testing
		Quality Improvement

For a given process, the best approach involves focusing on key points such as selecting WLAN modules and evaluation methods, and then conducting effective and appropriate tests. Anritsu's WLAN test solutions can help avoid redesigns caused by insufficient performance evaluations and reduce the risk of development delays.