Body phantoms, such as head and hand phantoms, have for a long time been used to simulate the human body, and to evaluate how it affects device performance. The human body absorbs RF energy, but it can also de-tune the device antenna, hence significantly changing the RF performance compared with free-space measurements.

Wireless connectivity is finding its way into all areas of our society. The healthcare industry is not an exception when it comes to embracing the advantages of wireless connectivity, with more and more medical sensors, various aids and diagnostic systems being connected. This transformation has accelerated after the pandemic, and benefits include enhanced productivity, improved life quality, as well as increased patient security and peace of mind.

Traditionally base stations have been verified by measuring their performance conductively at the antenna interface. With 5G, we enter a new and exciting era for base station design. Base stations and Remote Radio Units (RRU) are moving towards more integrated antenna/radio solutions, as well as Massive MIMO with 64 or more radio/antenna elements. These Advanced Antenna System technologies are applied also on LTE base stations to improve network capacity as well as reduce power consumption. However, this new breed of base stations will introduce new measurement challenges as these new design considerations change or eliminate the traditional antenna connector interface. Without access to these connectors, the test equipment must measure base station performance after the antenna output in a radiated, wireless over-the-air (OTA) environment.

- Robert Rehammar, CTO, Bluetest

In April 2019, Bluetest participated in Northern Europe’s largest science festival, the 'Vetenskapsfestivalen', in Gothenburg, co-hosting a special educational event for 8th grade school children, with a focus on microwave technology.

The rapid increase in number of used carriers and MIMO streams in modern LTE devices introduce new challenges when measuring radio performance. This white paper gives an introduction to Over-the-Air (OTA) measurements of such devices and what to consider when moving from a conducted measurement to measurements in a multipath faded OTA environment.

Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine to Machine or M2M communication is an application area quickly growing in importance both in the professional and domestic market. The professional segment includes different kinds of wireless metering, wireless diagnostics and supervision, while the domestic market focuses on smart home appliances. Together they include devices with a wide range of sizes and shapes increasing the need for flexible test solutions capable of testing small as well as larger wireless devices.

As the variety of wireless devices and wireless connections in a car increases, there is a corresponding increase in the need for testing to ensure good functionality and performance. Automotive engineers are finding that Bluetest reverberation test systems are often the most convenient solution for understanding the effects of wireless devices in, around and embedded in vehicles.

A radio propagation channel describes how the environment can affect the radio signal as it travels between the transmitter and receiver. As devices move and signals bounce off of buildings or vehicles, changes in frequency, phase and power occur. Wireless engineers in the industry broadly model these effects with a few main variables such as:

Although WLAN has been around for many years it has during the last couple of years grown rapidly in importance, driven mainly by the introduction of WLAN into mobile devices and operators offloading data from their cellular networks. Another force contributing to the strong growth is the trend to have “everything” connected, for example home appliances as well as different types of metering and sensors.