Martha Zemede

Senior Application Engineer/ Keysight Technologies

• IEEE 802.11 Standards Evolution
• Overview of 802.11be
• Review of 802.11ax PHY, basis for 802.11be
• 802.11be PHY overview
• New features for 802.11be
• Design and Test Challenges
• Keysight Measurement Solutions
• Summary

NOTE: 802.11be standard is under

development. Information covered
here is based on D0.4 (March 2021)

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 2

802.11-1997 802.11g 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6/6E)
• Freq: 2.4 GHz • Freq: 2.4 GHz • Very High Throughput (VHT) • High Efficiency (HE)
• BW = 22 MHz • BW = 20 MHz • Freq: 5 GHz • Freq: 2.4, 5, 6 GHz
• MIMO = NO • MIMO = NO • BW = 20/40/80/160 MHz • BW = 20/40/80/160 MHz
• Data rate = 2 Mbps • Data rate = 54 Mbps • MIMO = 8 spatial streams • MIMO = 8 spatial streams
• Data rate = 6.9 Gbps • Data rate = 9.6 Gbps

’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 ’21* ‘22 ’23 ’24

802.11b
• Freq: 2.4 GHz
• BW = 22 MHz 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4)
• MIMO = NO 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7)
• High Throughput (HT)
• Data rate = 11 Mbps • Extreme High Throughput (EHT)
• Freq: 2.4, 5 GHz
• Freq: 2.4, 5, 6 GHz
802.11a • BW = 20/40 MHz
• Freq: 5 GHz • BW = 20/40/80/160/320 MHz
• MIMO = 4 spatial streams
• BW = 20 MHz • MIMO = 16 spatial streams
• Data rate = 600 Mbps
• MIMO = NO • Data rate > 30 Gbps
• Data rate = 54 Mbps
*In the U.S.,6 GHz band launched in Jan 2021. In each country, it is subject to regulatory rules
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 3
 E X T R E M E LY H I G H T H R O U G H P U T ( E H T )

• Next generation wireless LAN, building on 802.11ax

• Carrier frequency operation in 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands
• Maximum throughput of at least 30 Gbps
• Backward compatibly and coexistence with legacy 802.11 devices
operating in the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands
• Improvements to worst case latency and jitter to improve support
for time sensitive applications
• Target use cases: immersive AR/VR, wireless gaming, 4K/8K
video streaming, cloud/edge computing etc..
• Targeted completion in 2024

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 4

 OFDMA MU-MIMO Long OFDM 1024-QAM
• New to 802.11ax • Up to 8 users in DL Symbol • 25% higher data rate
• Used in UL & DL (vs.4 in 802.11ac) compared to 256-QAM
• Higher efficiency for
• Single resource unit • Up to 8 users in UL – • Efficient data transfer
indoors (lower GI
(RU) per user New to 802.11ax with 10 bits/ symbol
overhead)
• Up to 8x capacity (vs. 8 in 256QAM)
increase in UL, 2x in DL • Robust outdoor
operation (longer delay
User#1 User#2 spread)
4x longer symbol
802.11ax
User#3
802.11ac

Key PHY Enablers for 802.11ax

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 5

 320 MHz BW 4096-QAM Enhanced 16 Spatial
• 320 MHz contiguous • 20% higher data rate OFDMA Streams
bandwidth in 6 GHz compared to 1024-QAM
• Multiple resource units
band
• Efficient data transfer • Double spectral
(MRU) to a single STA
• Double the peak with 12 bits/ symbol (vs. single RU per STA in
efficiency (vs. 8 spatial
throughput vs. 160 (vs.10 in 1024-QAM) 802.11ax) streams in 802.11ax)
MHz BW in 802.11ax
User#1 User#2

User#3 User#3

Key PHY Enablers for 802.11be

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 6

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 7
 Unlike 802.11ax,
there is no Single
User (SU) PPDU
Variable duration per EHT-LTF symbols
EHT Multi User (MU) PPDU

Key:
L Legacy
RL Repeated Legacy
U Universal
STF Short Training Field
LTF Long Training Field
SIG Signal
EHT Extremely High Throughput
PE Packet Extension
EHT Trigger Based (TB) PPDU Variable duration per EHT-LTF symbols

Legacy preamble
EHT preamble

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 8

 MU-PPDU is used
for SU and MU
transmission

• MU-PPDU is used for transmission of both single-user (SU) and multi-user (MU) packets
• U-SIG field indicates if it is SU (non-OFDMA) or MU (OFDMA) transmission

Legacy preamble
EHT preamble
Pre-EHT modulated fields EHT modulated fields
802.11be
EHT-
MU PPDU L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG U-SIG EHT-SIG EHT-LTF … EHT-LTF EHT Data PE
STF

802.11ax L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG HE-SIG-A HE-SIG-B

HE-
HE-LTF
…
HE-LTF HE Data PE
STF
MU PPDU

802.11ax L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG HE-SIG-A

HE-
HE-LTF … HE-LTF HE Data PE
SU PPDU STF

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 9

 Non-OFDMA or Compressed Mode
• All resource units (RUs) are assigned
to a single STA
• Full BW SU and full BW MU-MIMO
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing
OFDMA or Non-Compressed Mode
• RUs are assigned to a minimum of two STAs so
the available BW is split among them
• Two types of RUs for OFDMA: small and large size
• Small size RU mode:
• RUs with size of < 242 tones
• MU-MIMO is not supported
• Large size RU mode
• RUs with size of ≥ 242 tones (≥ 20 MHz)
• MU-MIMO and non-MU-MIMO are supported
10
• Used for backward compatibility with legacy devices
• Receiver acquires synchronization and channel estimation through L-STF and L-LTF
• L-STF: start of packet detection, automatic gain control (AGC), coarse frequency offset estimation and timing
synchronization
• L-LTF: channel estimation and fine frequency offset estimation
• L-SIG: rate and length of the frame

Legacy preamble
EHT preamble

…
EHT-
L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG U-SIG EHT-SIG EHT-LTF EHT-LTF EHT Data PE
STF

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 11

• The U-SIG carries information needed for the receiver to decode the data payload
• Two OFDM symbols containing two parts: U-SIG1 and U-SIG2
• Introduction of PHY version identifier for forward compatibility to the EHT preamble
• Purpose is to simplify auto detection for future 802.11 generations in 2.4/5/6 GHz spectrum starting with 802.11be

EHT-
L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG U-SIG EHT-SIG EHT-LTF … EHT-LTF EHT Data PE
STF

Legacy preamble
U-SIG1 version independent fields U-SIG2 version dependent fields EHT preamble
• PHY version identifier (value is 0 for EHT) • PPDU type and compression mode
• OFDMA including non-MU-MIMO and MU-MIMO; non-OFDMA; non-OFDMA MU-MIMO
• BW
• Punctured channel information
• UL/DL
• EHT-SIG MCS
• BSS color
• Number of EHT-SIG symbols
• TXOP

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 12

 The 89600 VSA
decodes the SIG for
automatic demodulation
of the 802.11be signal

• Contains all required information, not covered by U-SIG, for a receiver to decode the data payload
• Uses BPSK, QPSK or 16-QAM modulation. All other preamble use BPSK modulation
• Contains two parts: Common field and User-Specific field Legacy preamble
EHT preamble
EHT-
L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG U-SIG EHT-SIG EHT-LTF … EHT-LTF EHT Data PE
STF

Common User-Specific
• RU Allocation (for OFDMA transmission) • STA-ID
• Number of non-OFDMA users (for MU-MIMO) • Modulation and coding scheme (MCS)
• Spatial reuse • Coding
• GI+LTF size • Number of spatial streams (for non-MU-MIMO
• Number of EHT-LTF symbols allocation)
• … • Beamforming (for non-MU-MIMO allocation)
• Spatial configuration (for MU-MIMO allocation)

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 13

 EHT-LTF is the
primary training
sequence for receiver
equalization
Prepares the receiver to accurately demodulate data
EHT-STF:
• It assists the receiver detect a repeating pattern to improve automatic gain control estimation in a MIMO
transmission
EHT-LTF:
• Used for MIMO channel estimation
• Consists of multiple symbols, depending on number of spatial streams
• There are three EHT-LTF types (with different GI duration): 1xEHT-LTF, 2xEHT-LTF and 4xEHT-LTF

Legacy preamble
EHT preamble
EHT-
L-STF L-LTF L-SIG RL-SIG U-SIG EHT-SIG EHT-LTF … EHT-LTF EHT Data PE
STF

Immediately following the preamble, the EHT data field begins to transmit the payload

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 14

- 320 MHz bandwidth
- 4096-QAM modulation
- Enhanced OFDMA
- 16 spatial streams

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 15

 Unlike 802.11ac/ax,
802.11be does not
support non-contiguous
• Operates in 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands using contiguous bandwidth bandwidth

• Supports 802.11ax contiguous bandwidth modes: 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, 160 MHz
• New 320 MHz bandwidth mode in 6 GHz frequency band
• 320 MHz channelization is two contiguous 160MHz channels

5925 MHz 6425 MHz 6525 MHz 6875 MHz 7125 MHz

UNII-5 UNII-6 UNII-7 UNII-8

59 x 20 MHz channels
(vs. 25 in 5 GHz band)
20 MHz Guard

29 x 40 MHz channels
(vs. 12 in 5 GHz band)
14 x 80 MHz channels
(vs. 6 in 5 GHz band)
7 x 160 MHz channels
(vs. 2 in 5 GHz band)

3 x 320 MHz channels*

(vs. none in 5 GHz band)
6 GHz band, with total spectrum of 1200 MHz, and channel allocation for the US region
* Number of 320 MHz channels depend upon regulatory rules per country UNII: Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure radio band
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 16
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 17
 1024-QAM is the
highest order
modulation for
802.11ax
• 802.11be is the first wireless standard to support 4096-QAM modulation
• It can increase data rate by 20% compared to 1024-QAM modulation
• SNR needed is a lot more stringent compared to 1024-QAM
• With beamforming, 4096-QAM can be supported at a lower SNR

802.11ax: 802.11be:
MCS11 (1024-QAM) MCS13 (4096-QAM)
-35 dB EVM -38 dB EVM

10 bits/symbol 12 bits/symbol
Denser constellation, 3 dB tighter EVM limit
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 18
B E A M F O R M I N G R E S U LT S I N G A U S S I A N C H A N N E L

Simulation results – analysis (using

single stream):
• Without beamforming, required channel
SNR is above 45 dB
• Not practically feasible

• Beamforming with N_TX=4 reduces the

SNR requirement to about 30 dB
• N_TX=8 and N_TX=16 provide
additional 3 and 6 dB BF gain
respectively

Ref: https://mentor.ieee.org/802.11/dcn/19/11-19-0637-00-00ve-feasibility-of-4096QAM.pptx
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 19
MCS Modulation Coding Rate 802.11 ac 802.11ax 802.11be EVM
EVM (dB) EVM (dB) (dB) MCS numbering
0 BPSK 1/2 -5 -5 -5 and EVM
requirement for
1 QPSK 1/2 -10 -10 -10
MCS 0 to 11 is
2 QPSK 3/4 -13 -13 -13 same as 802.11ax
3 16QAM 1/2 -16 -16 -16
4 16QAM 3/4 -19 -19 -19
5 64QAM 2/3 -22 -22 -22
6 64QAM 3/4 -25 -25 -25 Typically, 10 dB
7 64QAM 5/6 -27 -27 -27 margin in test
equipment is
8 256QAM 3/4 -30 -30 -30
desired. It requires
9 256QAM 5/6 -32 -32 -32 high end signal
10 1024-QAM 3/4 N/A -35 -35 analyzer like the
Keysight N9042B
11 1024-QAM 5/6 N/A -35 -35
UXA, to achieve
12 4096-QAM 3/4 N/A N/A -38 very low EVM
13 4096-QAM 5/6 N/A N/A -38

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 20

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 21
 802.11ax only allows
puncturing in MU-PPDU
(OFDMA) transmission
• 802.11be supports puncturing for both OFDMA and non-OFDMA transmissions
• Puncturing removes ≥ 20 MHz spectrum from WLAN transmission
• Main motivation is to avoid transmitting on frequencies that are unauthorized due to incumbent operation
• Puncturing is supported in 80,160 and 320 MHz PPDU bandwidth

Example of puncturing needed due to a weather Radar in 5 GHz band

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 22

 “1” non-punctured subchannel
Puncturing Pattern
“x” punctured subchannel

996 996 996 [x x 1 1 1 1 1 1]

996 996 996 [1 1 x x 1 1 1 1]

996 996 996 [1 1 1 1 x x 1 1]

[1 1 1 1 1 1 x x]
996 996 996

The four allowed 80 MHz (996-tone) puncture patterns in 320 MHz BW

FYI: The puncturing granularity for 320 MHz BW is 40 MHz (each “x” is 40 MHz
or 484-tone). For 80 and160 MHz BW, the granularity is 20 MHz or 242-tone.
5-bit punctured channel indication for the
non-OFDMA case
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 23
 802.11ax only assigns
a single RU per STA.
Can lead to unused
spectrum resources
• Channel bandwidth is divided into resource units, RU
5 DC
• Different RU sizes are used to accommodate Null Subcarriers
Null Subcarriers
different traffic type 12 Guard
11 Guard

• One RU is scheduled per STA

• Multiple STA can be served simultaneously using
different RUs 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26 26

52 52 26 52 52 52 52 26 52 52
Example: In 40 MHz BW, six
users, four using RU size of 106 26 106 106 26 106
106 and two using RU size of
26, can be served 242 242
simultaneously

484 + 5 DC

40 MHz BW (512 tones)

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 24
 802.11be can
assign Multiple
RUs (MRU) per
STA
• 802.11be can assign multiple RUs (MRU) to a single STA – enhanced spectral efficiency
• Two types of MRUs are defined: small size and large size
• In order to minimize complexity and signaling overhead, limited combinations are allowed

Type Mode Plan (tone) Allowed RU combinations Bandwidth

Small size OFDMA 26, 52, 106 • 52-tone + 26-tone 20/40 MHz
RU • 106-tone + 26-tone 20/40/80 MHz
Large OFDMA, 242, 484, 996, • 484-tone + 242-tone 80 MHz
size RU non-OFDMA 2*996, 3*996 • 996-tone + 484-tone 160 MHz
• 996-tone + 484-tone + 242-tone (non-OFDMA only)
Note: 3*996-tone is a new
addition to 802.11be. All • 2*996-tone + 484-tone 320 MHz
other tone definitions are
also defined for 802.11ax • 3*996-tone
• 3*996-tone + 484-tone

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 25

• Two small size MRUs: 52-tone RU + 26 tone RU and 106-tone RU +26-tone RU

DC

26-tone RUs

52-tone RUs

52 + 26 tone DC
MRUs
26-tone RUs
(78 tone)
Example: 52+26 tone MRUs in a 20 MHz PPDU
106-tone RUs

106 + 26 tone
MRUs
(132 tone)
Example:106+26 tone MRUs in a 20 MHz PPDU

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 26

 Puncturing pattern
• MRUs in non-OFDMA are obtained by puncturing the operating channel [x 1 1 1 1 1 1 1]
40MHz BW punctured
[111111x1] 484 996 996 996 3x996+484 tone MRU1

484 996 996 996 3x996+484 tone MRU2

996 484 996 996 3x996+484 tone MRU3

996 484 996 996 3x996+484 tone MRU4

996 996 484 996 3x996+484 tone MRU5

996 996 484 996 3x996+484 tone MRU6

996 996 996 484 3x996+484 tone MRU7

996 996 996 484 3x996+484 tone MRU8

3×996+484-tone MRUs in non-OFDMA 320 MHz PPDU
89600 VSA measuring Puncture Value of 7
i.e. pattern of [111111x1]
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 27
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 28
 802.11ax has a
maximum of 8
spatial streams

• Up to 16 spatial streams, compared to 8 in 802.11ax

• Increases network throughput in MU-MIMO by
simultaneously serving up to 8 STAs with maximum of STA1
4 spatial streams per STA
• 16 streams can be used for SU transmission (16x16 .
MIMO). This will require16 antennas at each STA AP .
.
• This applies to DL and UL and non-OFDMA and STA2
OFDMA
• RU/MRU ≥ 242 (≥ 20 MHz BW) is required for MU-
MIMO
STA3

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 29

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 30
• Higher-order modulation is very sensitive to noise, nonlinear distortion and interference
• 4096-QAM requires better EVM performance (both DUT and test equipment)
• 3 dB stricter EVM specification vs. 1024-QAM used in 802.11ax (-38 dB vs. -35 dB)
• Achieving better EVM requires better linearity and phase noise
• Errors may be due to imperfections in IQ modulator, phase noise and I/Q imbalance of local oscillator (LO), or
non-linearity of power amplifier

Keysight design tools:

• W4523E PathWave WiFi and Connectivity Library can simulate effects of various errors to assist in
optimizing design
• PathWave Vector Signal Analysis (89600 VSA) software to measure EVM and identify causes of EVM

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 31

 U S E K E Y S I G H T M E A S U R E M E N T S C I E N C E F R O M S I M U L AT I O N T O T E S T

Waveform generation, EVM analysis and reference designs

• System architecture simulation, analysis & algorithm design
• Generate I/Q waveforms for download to signal generator
• Analyze signals using 89600 VSA software

Supported features:
• All channel bandwidths, modulations & MCS including 4096QAM
• BCC and LDPC coding
• 1-8 spatial streams, up to 16 TX antennas
• User-defined spatial mapping
• Full procedures for L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-SIG, U-SIG, EHT-
SIG, EHT-STF and EHT-LTFs
• Punctured channels for bandwidth 80, 160 and 320MHz
• Compatible with 89600 VSA Version 2021 Update 1.0

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 32


Constellation Diagram Channel Frequency
Response
Overlay multiple traces:
Spectrum, CCDF …
Error Matrix per STS;
Results of legacy & EHT
Up to 8 STS
preamble plus data
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing
• 89601BHXC, high throughput WLAN
modulation analysis
EVM per RU • EHT MU PPDU with channel
bandwidth of 20/40/80/160/320 MHz
EVM vs. Time • Modulation format of BPSK up to
4096-QAM
EVM vs. Subcarrier
• Auto detection of signal parameters
for non-OFDMA puncturing and MRU
• Auto detection and decoding of EHT-
U- SIG and EHT-SIG with decoded
results
• Up to 8x8 SU-MIMO
• Plus other measurements/features
EHT-U-SIG, EHT-SIG and L-SIG
available for legacy WLAN formats
Decoded info
33
Measured Reference

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 34

 Default VSA settings comply
with IEEE EVM requirement
L-STF: Frame synchronization & coarse frequency synchronization Phase tracking
L-LTF: Fine frequency synchronization and channel estimation only
For an accurate
EHT-LTF:
channel
FFT; Estimate the phase from pilot subcarriers and compensate
estimation,
89600 VSA uses
EHT-LTF: Estimate the complex channel response coefficient Wiener or
for each subcarrier and each transmit stream (89600 VSA gives the Triangular
user an option to also include L-LTF for better estimation) interpolation filter Equalizer
training using
Data OFDM symbol: preamble only
• FFT; Estimate the phase from pilot subcarriers and compensate
Zero-forcing
• Multiply by zero-forcing equalization matrix generated from
equalization using
the estimated channel
the channel
estimation result
Data OFDM symbol:
• For each data subcarrier in each spatial stream, find the closest
constellation and compute the Euclidean distance
• Calculate EVM 89600 VSA Tracking, Channel
Estimation and Equalization settings
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 35
 PathWave Vector Signal
Analysis (89600 VSA)
89601BHXC - High throughput
WLAN modulation analysis

N9042B UXA
Signal Analyzer

PathWave Signal Generation

M9384B VXG
N7617C - Signal Studio for WLAN Signal Generator

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 36

Preamble Only (Default setting of 89600 VSA):
- EHT-LTF is used for channel estimation/equalization
- Better match to real receiver
- Compliant to IEEE 802.11be EVM test

Preamble, Pilot & Data:

- EHT-LTF and data symbols with pilot are used for equalization
- Lower EVM due to better computation of equalizer coefficient
- Can be used as a diagnostic tool. If EVM improves significantly,
check channel frequency response for flatness problems

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 37

How to Train Analyzer’s Equalizer?

What is your measurement goal?

• To predict receiver performance, use
“Preamble Only” Preamble only Preamble & data

• To be compliant with IEEE EVM test, use

“Preamble Only”

• To measure with lowest error, use

“Preamble, Pilots & Data”
• Provides better sensitivity in
measuring low-distortion signals
such as when evaluating
incremental error in power amplifiers

Channel Frequency Response (from equalizer) and Error Summary, with the
equalizer trained on “Preamble Only” (left) and on “Preamble, Pilot & data” (right)
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 38
• Examine equalizer response Eq. Frequency
• Frequency domain: Channel frequency Response (phase)
Eq. Frequency Response
response (magnitude)
• View as magnitude, phase or group delay
• Time domain: Equalizer impulse
response
• Common pilot error (CPE)
• How much pilot variation is “tracked” out? Common Pilot Error
(CPE)
Eq. Impulse
Response

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 39

 SEARCH PEAK ERROR AND LINK TO OTHER MEASUREMENTS

• Equalization does not

compensate for non-linear
Error Vector Spectrum RMS Error Vector Time errors such as spurious
interference

• Error Vector Spectrum

measurement offers great
sensitivity to low-level spurious
Error Vector Time
RMS Error Vector Spectrum within the signal

• Error Vector Time

measurement for signal
impairments that are impulsive,
Marker table with transient or time-related
coupled marker
information

89600 VSA has multiple simultaneous measurements and marker coupling allows to
search for peak error and link to other measurements
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 40
N7617C SIGNAL STUDIO FOR WLAN

• All channel bandwidths, modulations & MCS

including 4096QAM
• BCC and LDPC coding
• Full procedures for L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG, RL-
SIG, U-SIG, EHT-SIG, EHT-STF and EHT-LTFs
• Punctured channels for bandwidth 80, 160 and
320MHz
• Plus other features available for legacy WLAN
formats

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 41

 M 9 3 8 4 B V X G M I C R O W AV E S I G N A L G E N E R AT O R

• World’s first dual-channel 1 MHz - 44 GHz Vector

Signal Generator

• Up to 2 GHz RF bandwidth
• World’s lowest phase noise microwave Vector Signal
Generator for OFDM

• High output power ideal for PA or OTA testing with

ultra-low ACP and EVM

• Phase coherent local oscillator (LO) and baseband

synchronization for multi-user or beamforming MIMO
OTA testing

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 42

89600 VSA FOR R&D
Constellation Diagram Channel Frequency
Response
Overlay multiple traces:
Spectrum, CCDF …
Error Matrix per STS;
Up to 8 STS Results of legacy & EHT
preamble plus data
Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing
• 89601BHXC, high throughput WLAN
modulation analysis
EVM per RU
• EHT MU PPDU with channel bandwidth of
20/40/80/160/320 MHz
EVM vs. Time • Modulation format of BPSK up to 4096-QAM
• Auto detection of signal parameters for non-
OFDMA puncturing and MRU
EVM vs. Subcarrier
• Auto detection and decoding of EHT-U-SIG
and EHT-SIG with decoded results
• Up to 8x8 SU-MIMO
• Supports over 45 hardware platforms (plus
simulation software) for the performance,
bandwidth, and number of channels needed
EHT-U-SIG, EHT-SIG and L-SIG
Decoded info
43
N 9 0 4 2 B U X A S I G N A L A N A LY Z E R

• Best performance in the industry for EVM, swept

DANL, and dynamic range
• Up to 4 GHz internal analysis bandwidth; up to 11
GHz external bandwidth
• Premier measurement software with VSA and X-
Apps

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 44

N 9 0 7 7 E M 2 E X - S E R I E S A P P L I C AT I O N F O R D V T & M F G

• For WLAN transmitter and component test

• EHT MU PPDU with channel bandwidth of
20/40/80/160/320 MHz
• Modulation format of BPSK up to 4096-QAM
• One-button, standard-based measurements
with pass/fail results
• Spectrum and power measurements​
• SEM, OBW, spurious emission, spectral
flatness ​plus more..
• Modulation analysis measurements​
• EVM, EVM vs. symbol, EVM vs. subcarrier
• Burst & Signal Info plus more
• Use with X-Series signal analyzers, modular
products and one box testers

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 45

DVT AND MFG

800 MHz bandwidth, 32 ports, 7.3 GHz
• 7.3 GHz, up to 800 MHz bandwidth
• Optimize throughput with 8 ports for each VSG and
VSA, up to 32 ports total
• Verify multiple devices and multiple antennas
• Connect once to verify performance in the 2.4 GHz,
5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands
• Test many use cases by configuring each port as half
duplex or full duplex

• Develop and execute test plans quickly

802.11a/b/g/n/p 802.11ac/ax Wi-Fi 6E 802.11be
• Optimize speed with chipset control and sequencing
BT BT 5.0 BT 5.1 • Re-use your existing test code from VXT
Ready for the future
• Flexibly test many formats (WLAN, BT, cellular)
2G 3G 4G 5G without additional hardware

Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 46

• 802.11be new PHY features will include:
• Wider channel bandwidths: Up to 320 MHz
• Higher order modulation: 4096-QAM
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Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 47

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Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 48

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Introduction to IEEE 802.11be WLAN Technology and RF Testing 49