WiFi Spectrum Analyzer for V300 seriesRev. A02
What can the WiFi analyzer do? Portable spectrum analyzer on a USB dongle that displays all RF activity in the
WiFi bands Wireless networks, cordless phones, microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices etc.
Helps determine the best available WLAN channels quickly for optimal performance
Helps to visualize and locate RF signals in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums Discover and remedy competing access points Optimize WLAN networks by locating and eliminating interference sources
Target customers Wireless IT Consultants and Professionals A/V and Automation Installers SMB IT Departments
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Test Applications
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
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Working Components
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
VeEX WiFi SA USB dongle
V300 tester equipped with WiFi SA software option
Parameter 2.4GHz 5GHz
Frequency range 2.400 to 2.495 GHz 5.150 to 5.850 GHz
Frequency resolution 26 kHz to 3 MHz 24 kHz to 3 MHz
Filter bandwidth 58 to 650 kHz 54 to 600 kHz
Antenna type RP-SMA
Amplitude range -100 dBm to -6.5 dBm
Amplitude resolution 0.5 dBm
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Specifications
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Supports 802.11a/b/g/n networks
Supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands
Equipped with RP-SMA antenna jack
Allows user to replace standard external Omni-directional antenna with a higher gain or directional antenna as needed.
The WiFi Analyzer is a compact and portable USB dongle that plugs into the USB 2.0 port of the V300 series
The WiFi SA test application menu is located in the Tools/Advanced Tools menu
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Advanced Tools
V300 series – IP Tools
Planar view Reports current, average, and maximum signal amplitude for each wireless frequency
Topographic view emphasizes which frequencies are the busiest across the entire spectrum
Spectral view historical view of wireless spectrum use at a point in time
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Display Summary
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Planar View Traditional Spectrum Analyzer view with Max, Average and Current results Displays RF activity in real time and tracks average and max values over a given period
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Planar View
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Topographic View Similar to a density map - plots frequency versus amplitude Uses a special color scheme to assign colors to frequency amplitude points and to identify
how often a particular co-ordinate is recorded Great resource for identifying devices with very low duty cycles. Leaving it running will give a good indication of the typical local network conditions.
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Topographic View
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Spectral View Waterfall type view across the whole band – graphs amplitude levels over time. Uses color to pick out the relative signal strength at each point in time. Great tool for troubleshooting intermittent problems, since it highlights devices that are
perhaps emitting only short bursts of noise. For example - discover microwave oven in the kitchen interfering with WLAN.
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Spectral View
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Signature button presets are available to identify unknown sources of RF activity (e.g. microwave oven) Select a device in the sidebar and click the pattern in the Topographic view to identify a
device
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RF Signatures
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
Inspector button - Setup Allows user to measure the frequency of the RF activity or interference of interest When selected, a prompt and result box appears
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Inspector - setup
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
Inspector button – Result Identifies frequency and amplitude at stylus tapping point Current, Average and Maximum amplitude values provide an indication of level
fluctuation over measurement period
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Inspector - result
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Frequency button Allows user to select frequency band for testing
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Frequency Bands
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
Sales Resources
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
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Original standard Ratified in 1997 - used the 2.412 to 2.484GHz frequency band
GLOBAL EQUIPMENT INTEROPERABILITY
MEDIUM TO HIGH DATA RATES
APPLICATIONS Small offices to Industrial Manufacturing campuses
SPREAD SPECTRUM TECHNOLOGY Limits transmitted power density Provides a robust solution in a multi-user environment
Frequency band also used by non IT applications: 2.4GHz ISM band (83.5MHz Bandwidth) 2.45GHz at the middle of the Wi-Fi spectrum - same frequency as the magnetron inside a
microwave oven that warms up your soup
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Quick Facts
802.11 WLAN standard
802.11 (Ratified June 1997) The original version of the standard released in 1997, but is obsolete today
802.11a (Ratified September 1999) Uses the same data link layer protocol and frame format as the original standard, but an OFDM based
air interface (physical layer). Operates in the 5 GHz band with a maximum net data rate of 54 Mbit/s, plus error correction code,
which yields realistic net achievable throughput in the mid-20 Mbit/s
802.11b (Ratified September 1999) Maximum raw data rate of 11 Mbit/s and uses the same media access method defined in the original
standard. 802.11b devices suffer interference from other products operating in the 2.4 GHz band - these include:
microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors and cordless telephones.
802.11g (Ratified June 2003) Works in 2.4 GHz band, but uses the same OFDM based transmission scheme as 802.11a. Maximum physical layer bit rate of 54 Mbit/s (exclusive FEC codes), about 22 Mbit/s Average
throughput Hardware is fully backwards compatible with 802.11b hardware
802.11n (Ratified October 2009) Improves upon the previous 802.11 standards by adding multiple-input multiple-output antennas (MIMO) Indoor range improved from 38m to 70m (approximate)
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Main variants
IEEE 802.11 Standard
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
WiFi Technology Frequency Band Bandwidth/Max data rate
802.11a 5 GHz 54 Mbps
802.11b 2.4 GHz 11 Mbps
802.11g 2.4 GHz 54 Mbps
802.11n 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz 2.4 or 5 GHz (selectable)2.4 and 5 GHz (concurrent)
450 Mbps
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WiFi Generations
IEEE 802.11 Standard
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
Unlicensed operation governed by FCC Document 15.247, Part 15
Spread Spectrum allowed to minimize interference
Uses mostly 2.4GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band
More Bandwidth to Support Higher Data Rates and Number of Channels
Available worldwide
Good balance of equipment performance and cost compared with 5.725GHz band
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Frequency Spectrum
IEEE 802.11 Standard
11 22 33 44 55 66
26MHz26MHz 83.5MHz83.5MHz 125MHz125MHz
2.400 to 2.4835GHz2.400 to 2.4835GHz902 to 928MHz902 to 928MHz 5.725 to 5.850GHz5.725 to 5.850GHz
FREQUENCY (GHz)FREQUENCY (GHz)
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
Definition: Spread Spectrum (SS) is a means of transmission whereby:
The transmitted signal occupies a bandwidth much greater than the minimum necessary to send the information
Signal spreading is accomplished by a ‘code’ signal, which is independent of the data At the receiver, de-spreading is performed by correlating the received SS signal with a
synchronized replica of the spread signal
Advantages: Resists intentional and non-intentional interference Has the ability to eliminate or alleviate the effect of multipath interference Can share the same frequency band (overlay) with other users Privacy due to the pseudo random code sequence (code division multiplexing)
Disadvantages: Bandwidth inefficient Implementation is somewhat more complex
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Spread Spectrum
IEEE 802.11 Standard
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
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Frequency Allocations
IEEE 802.11 Standard
The 2.4GHz radio band is split into a number of fixed-frequency channels: There are 13 usable channels Channel 1 starts at 2.412GHz Channels are spaced in 5MHz increments Channels are 20MHz wide so there’s considerable overlap between them
40MHz wide channels exist in some 802.11n and speed-boosted versions of 802.11g Due to this overlap, only three channels can be active at any one time
In practice users and manufacturers tend to choose channels 1, 6 and 11 (USA) Channel 13 is at 2.472GHz Channel 14 sits at 12MHz above channel 13 (only legal for use in Japan) Channels 12 and 13 are illegal in the USA
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
Principle of operation FSK data modulation Periodic changes in the carrier frequency spreads the signal Carrier frequency changes at a specified hop rate Carrier frequency hops after a prescribed time Total system bandwidth includes all of the channel frequencies used in hopping
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Frequency Hopping
IEEE 802.11 Standard
AMPLITUDEAMPLITUDE
FREQUENCYFREQUENCY
TIMETIME
11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 1010 1111 1212f1f1
f2f2f3f3
f4f4
f5f5
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
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Protocol Layer
IEEE 802.11 Standard
Media Access Control LayerPROTOCOL AND PHYSICAL LAYER
MANAGEMENT
MAC-PHY Sub-layers CONFIGURE DATA FRAMES AND PREAMBLES
FOR TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE MODE
Physical Layer (PHY)RADIO TRANSMISSION MEDIA FOR EITHER
DSSS, FHSS OR INFRARED
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer Overview
Free Tools available to analyze WLAN issues: Netstumbler Wireshark InSSider
Simply scans for valid Wi-Fi signals across the legal channel slots, but ignores all spurious radiation that affects other devices
Limitations of free tools: Typically show information about WiFi traffic only, however blind to physical RF issues RF physical issues are often responsible for WLAN outages
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Sales Arguments
WiFi Spectrum Analyzer
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Thank you.Any questions?