Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication and ranging

Ultra-wideband (UWB) testing

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Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication and ranging

Rohde & Schwarz test solutions enable accurate test and verification of UWB devices in all phases of the product lifecycle

Ultra-wideband communication, as standardized by IEEE 802.15.4 (groups a/f/z), enables very low power communication and very accurate ranging in the license-exempt spectrum. Based on distinct applications in several industries, the technology is now entering the consumer market, mainly targeting mobile phone and automotive applications. Typical use cases are keyless entries, asset finding, mobile data sharing and secure payment.

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Pulse radio
Low power wideband
Accurate positioning
Secure ranging

A wideband technology for fine ranging

Pulse radio communication goes back to the early days of radio communications, based on inventions from Heinrich Hertz and Guglielmo Marconi. UWB is characterized by the transmission of extremely narrow pulses, with a duration of few nanoseconds, resulting in quite a wide spectrum of 500 MHz and more. This makes UWB signals relatively resistant to interferences and allows very accurate time of flight measurements.

The IEEE 802.15.4 standard defines two physical layers. One layer is for low pulse repetition frequencies (LRP UWB) of 1 MHz to 4 MHz. The other layer, mainly used in today’s applications, works with high pulse repetition frequencies (HRP UWB) ranging from 4 MHz to 250 MHz. The majority of applications using the defined high band channels in the range of 6 GHz to 10 GHz with a channel bandwidth of 499.2 MHz.

Ensuring secure communication and accurate ranging

For the testing of UWB devices besides regulatory requirements, the performance and interoperability aspects and requirements as addressed by the FiRa consortium, the UWB alliance or the Car Connectivity Consortium are of utmost importance.

In general, the design, integration and testing of wideband radio devices at very low power require test solutions able to generate and analyze very wide signals and have the required dynamic range. A special aspect is the verification and calibration of the components used for time of flight measurements, requiring a test setup that allows very accurate time measurements. Rohde & Schwarz will help you establish which test solution you need to bring your application to market with the desired quality and performance.

UWB channel allocation based on IEEE 802.15.4z (Draft 0.8, March 2020)

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Impulse radio ultra-wideband (UWB) standardization in IEEE 802.15.4 (groups a, f, z)

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Transmitter measurements with the R&S®CMP200 radio communication tester

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Benefits of Rohde & Schwarz UWB test solutions

Test solutions for every purpose – from R&D to production and certification
Dedicated UWB solutions developed together with the main players of the ecosystem
Test solutions for conformance and compliance testing

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Related resources

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