Azimuth systems First to provide Platform For 802.11n
Functional
Testing
Solution Enables Wi-Fi Manufacturers
to Test Interoperability,
Performanceand Backward Compatibility
ACTON, MA – May 31, 2006 – Azimuth Systems Inc.,
the leading provider of Wi-Fi® engineering test equipment, today announced
a solution that enables Wi-Fi vendors to test their draft 802.11n-based
products for interoperability, performance, conformance and backward
compatibility. The Azimuth MIMO Functional Test solution is the industry’s
first functional test equipment for the draft-802.11n specification
and is built on Azimuth’s existing W-Series platform.
802.11n,
the industry’s next mainstream Wi-Fi technology standard, enables new
bandwidth-intensive applications at greater distances with improved
reliability. 802.11n products will also expand the capabilities of Wi-Fi
platforms and applications already in widespread use. While the specification
is still in the draft phase, vendors are currently testing and, in some
cases, introducing products based on the early 802.11n specification.
“802.11n technology will eventually push the industry past a billion
Wi-Fi nodes,” said Jeff Abramowitz, vice president of marketing at Azimuth
Systems. “Maximizing the performance of this next generation of products
will require new testing methodologies. The new MIMO Functional Test
solution and the existing Azimuth ACE™ channel emulator enable vendors
to bring interoperable, high performance products to market more quickly.”
Azimuth’s MIMO Functional Test solution addresses three key areas:
interoperability between and among Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO)
products; performance, including maximum throughput; and backward compatibility
to PCs, phones, access points and other legacy devices already in use.
The Azimuth MIMO Functional Test solution enables vendors
to test:
Maximum MIMO Throughput Performance: the maximum
throughput rate of a client and access point. This provides a benchmark
for interoperability and backward compatibility tests. MIMO Interoperability:
the ability of a client or access point to work with other MIMO-based
products, providing an understanding of the functional and performance
differences between single-vendor and mixed-vendor configurations. Backward
Compatibility: the ability of a new product to operate with legacy IEEE
802.11 a/b/g devices and to assess the performance impact in Wi-Fi installed
base environments.
The MIMO Functional Test solution runs on
Azimuth’s flexible W-Series platform, which allows customers to test
the performance, interoperability, certification and conformance of
wireless devices. The W-Series leverages Azimuth’s patented SmartMotion™
technology to emulate devices in motion, testMAC™ technology to emulate
golden client or infrastructure devices, and Real2Real™ architecture
that incorporates system testing of actual products.
The W-Series
platform also enables vendors with 802.11n-based products to perform
the following important legacy tests in an automated fashion:
Wi-Fi Alliance Pre-Certification: a suite of scripts that implement
the latest Wi-Fi Alliance tests for interoperability certification for
a/b/g devices. These automated tests help vendors reduce pre-certification
test time from days to hours with complete repeatability. Legacy Compliance:
the ability of the device to strictly comply with existing IEEE 802.11
a/b/g standards.
Wi-Fi Industry Technology Leaders Test
MIMO with Azimuth
In the wireless LAN industry, the
Wi-Fi Alliance defines interoperability tests based on IEEE 802.11 specifications
and grants the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ logo to products that pass their tests.
As part of the design process, leading vendors of 802.11n-based products
must rigorously test not just performance but also the interoperability
and backward compatibility of their products toward eventual Wi-Fi Alliance
certification.
“It’s not enough for Atheros XSPAN™ solutions
to provide great performance with the emerging 802.11n standard,” said
Bill McFarland, Chief Technology Office of Atheros Communications. “To
assure our customers’ market success, our technology also interoperates
with competing draft 11n solutions and supports legacy WLAN devices.
We applaud the availability of Azimuth’s new MIMO testing solutions
to accurately assess interoperation across vendors and products.”
“IEEE 802.11n technology opens the door for interoperable products
that have advanced Wi-Fi capabilities, such as the delivery of video
over Wi-Fi,” said Bill Bunch, Director of Product Management, Broadcom
Corporation. “Equipment such as Azimuth’s MIMO Functional Test solution
plays an important role in ensuring that our Intensi-fi™ products meet
stringent performance and interoperability requirements.”
Additional Azimuth MIMO Product Offerings
Azimuth’s
ACE 400NB is the industry’s first MIMO channel emulator for testing
next-generation Wi-Fi products. The ACE emulates multipath and executes
the TGn models which enables vendors to evaluate product performance
across a large number of emulated “real world” environments. Azimuth’s
RadioProof™ enclosures are used with both the W-Series and the ACE platforms
to provide complete radio frequency (RF) isolation and enable repeatable
testing of MIMO or SISO products. In addition, Azimuth’s software architecture
is common across all of Azimuth testing platforms, and the STUDIO™ software
database manager is particularly useful for sharing Azimuth test data
across functional groups, geographies or between suppliers and vendors.
Availability
Some existing customers are
already using their W-Series platforms to run the MIMO Functional Test
solution. New customers may purchase a W-Series bundle specific to running
these tests and availability of the bundle is immediate. Fully automated
versions of the basic functional test plans will ship in Q3.
About Azimuth Systems
Azimuth Systems is a leading
provider of wireless data communications test solutions. Azimuth’s products
are used by more than 80 of the world’s leading wireless semiconductor,
system vendors and service providers to speed time-to-market and improve
wireless product quality. Azimuth’s standardized test solutions enable
research, development, QA and marketing engineers to test the performance,
conformance and certification of wireless devices and networks supporting
data, voice and video applications. The company is based in Acton, Massachusetts
and is backed by prestigious investors including Kodiak Venture Partners
and North Bridge Venture Partners. Azimuth may be contacted at (978)
263-6610 or at
www.azimuthsystems.com.
Azimuth® is a registered trademark
of Azimuth Systems and SmartMotion™, RadioProof™ , TestMAC™, STUDIO™,
Real2Real™ and ACE™ are trademarks of Azimuth Systems. Wi-Fi® and Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED™ are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners. |