NI announces validation by the FiRa Consortium of its UWB PHY test solution. Device manufacturers can now use NI’s solution and chip designers to test the conformance of their ultra-wideband (UWB) automatically enabled products against version 1.3 of FiRa’s PHY specifications.

UWB is useful for devices requiring low power, operating over a short range that can coexist with other Radio Frequency (RF) signals to provide real-time location information and perform data exchanges with remote objects. The NI UWB PHY test solution is based on the NI PXI platform, allowing users to custom-tailor a solution that meets their needs in a compact format. Users can add functionality such as data acquisition channels or DUT control interfaces to customize their solution.

Part of NI’s FiRa-validated UWB Test Solution is the second-generation Vector Signal Transceiver, the PXIe-583x. This family of RF testers is primarily aimed at engineers working on RF front ends for wideband standards, such as 5G and Wi-Fi 6E/7. The increasing complexity of devices, test cases, and modulation schemes makes them rely on NI’s VST-based solutions to help validate the performance of their devices. One of the unique attributes of the VST is its highly scalable software architecture. The UWB-specific parts of this test solution leverage the ultra-flexible and efficient toolkit from its partner, MaxEye Technologies.  MaxEye’s experience in the development of communication layers for RF technologies, as well as the development of their associated test methods, makes them the ideal partner for these solutions.