New radio communication testers have implemented the many new NB-IoT features introduced with 3GPP Releases 14 and 15. The R&S CMW500 and R&S CMW290 both introduced wake-up signal support, among other Release 15 features, with the most recent firmware releases. For NB-IoT long-term monitoring applications, this wake-up signal can be leveraged to enable either far longer battery life without upgrading the battery, or as a way to reduce battery size while retaining the device’s service life.
Test functions newly implemented on an R&S CMW290 Functional Radio Communication 
Tester are employed to outline the difference in power consumption for NB-IoT devices with and without the wake-up signal technology.
Reducing the power consumption of NB-IoT devices is critical to increase the duration of the device’s reliable active life. 3GPP Release 15 introduces the wake-up signal, a special paging signal sent from an NB-IoT base station to specific NB-IoT devices, informing the devices to wake up the main receiver, in preparation for receiving paging data. The main receiver only needs to wake up when it is informed; an NB-IoT device with the wake-up signal implemented remains in idle mode until informed to decode the physical downlink control channel for a paging occasion.
The test and measurement equipment expert Rohde & Schwarz and the cellular IoT company CommSolid by Goodix have partnered up to demonstrate the effectiveness of the NB-IoT Release 15 feature wake-up signal in reducing the power consumption of NB-IoT devices. Goodix Technology is an integrated solution provider for applications based on IC design and software development offering industry-leading software and hardware semiconductor solutions for smart devices, IoT applications, and automotive electronics and is recognized as the largest biometric authentication solution provider for Android devices in the global market.
Rohde & Schwarz USA Inc., 6821 Benjamin Franklin Drive Columbia, MD 21046, 410-910-7800, www.rohde-schwarz.com
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