Veriwave announces the WaveTest system, the first complete conformance test solution for Wireless LAN

Test system offers highest timing accuracy and is the only 802.11 test system that can be used in shielded and open-air conditions

Portland, Ore. — May 3, 2004 — VeriWave, Inc., a start-up addressing the need for reliable conformance testing for wireless local area networks (WLAN), today announced its first product, the WaveTest 802.11 verification system. The WaveTest™ system breaks new ground in wireless LAN testing as the first true 802.11 protocol test system to provide complete conformance testing, the most accurate 802.11 protocol analysis, and the only system able to perform tests at every stage of WLAN development.

Today there are a variety of approaches used to test 802.11 systems, but none is as accurate as WaveTest for testing all of the features and timing parameters specified in the 802.11 standard. The result is the most repeatable testing for WLAN on the market today. WaveTest is the only WLAN test system to provide reliable results that can be shared across an organization – from development to manufacturing to customer support.

“WaveTest is a uniquely valuable tool for wireless conformance testing,” said Gerard Goubert, Manager, Wireless, Bridging and Voice Consortiums, University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory. “The timing resolution, accuracy and control features of the WaveTest system greatly benefit our members when testing the newest wireless protocols.”

A Highly Accurate Test System for All Phases of WLAN Development

In order to meet the requirements of the next generation of wireless enterprise networks, a new generation of WLAN test tools is needed—tools designed specifically to solve the most challenging WLAN test problems. Today developers have been getting by with a variety of general RF and software tools, such as spectrum analyzers and listen-only protocol analyzers, that do not test full conformance to the 802.11 protocol. This ad-hoc approach to testing is not repeatable and cannot be shared throughout the organization. As a consequence, every department has its own recipe for testing WLAN devices. The WaveTest system is a new class of WLAN testing tool that overcomes the limitations of existing test methods. WaveTest is made up of lightweight units called Test Points that are controlled by a PC. Unlike other WLAN test systems, WaveTest can operate in both a shielded lab environment or in open air, matching the environment where WLAN systems are installed and signals often interfere in ways that can’t be anticipated during lab tests.

The WaveTest system is the first multi-point WLAN verification system that offers complete 802.11 protocol analysis. Performing this requires total interactive traffic control with timing precision for both correct and errored traffic. This allows the full testing of functional operation, timing parameters, and spatial features of the standard. No other test system on the market today offers the full capability needed to perform the hundreds of tests required for compliance with the 802.11 standards.

WaveTest can perform testing with the accuracy and control required during all phases of WLAN system development, including design, quality assurance, manufacturing and on-site customer support. It provides multiple organizations with a common description of tests that can be shared between functional groups or across sites. WaveTest’s unique ability to share results streamlines validation and lowers total development costs.

Unique WaveTest Architecture

The WaveTest system has a unique architecture designed for the challenges of wireless LAN verification. A WaveTest base system comprised of three Test Points that generate traffic and record responses. The innovative architecture allows multiple Test Points to be distributed into the test environment, yet still be tightly synchronized to create virtually any 802.11 test situation.

The WaveTest system enables engineers to set up, analyze and debug the most difficult traffic scenarios, using maximum rate loading, random traffic generation and other stress tests that quickly expose product problems. With WaveTest, designers can tackle the most complex new WLAN features with confidence and build products to the next level of interoperability, performance and reliability.

Unique Capabilities of the WaveTest Verification System

WaveTest offers a number of unique capabilities, not found in any other WLAN test system. These include:

• Highest timing accuracy of any 802.11 protocol analysis. WaveTest can test all the timing parameters of the standard.
• Spatial testing. WaveTest can test the most complex Wi-Fi features, such as overlapping coverage areas, roaming, advanced switching architectures, and location-based services.
• Support for “Open Air” or cabled test configurations. WaveTest can be used in either an open-air environment to match the product use in the real world, or used in shielded environments.
• Record and Re-create. WaveTest allows the user to save an exact snapshot of a problem and bring it back to the development lab for extensive analysis.
• Collide-on-the-fly interference testing. WaveTest allows the easy development of real world tests by enabling real-time collision with frames based on header information, allowing the user to easily test the robustness of their equipment to specific interference scenarios.

WaveTest Key Features

Key features of the WaveTest Verification System include:

• Transmit/Receive. Transmit any type of 802.11 frame, as well as interference. Receive any frame type, as well as errored frames, partial frames and interference.
• Fully programmable. Each Test Point can be programmed to act like an Access Point, a station, or any other 802.11 device, even multiple devices. Test Points interact with a Device Under Test in order to test complex protocol handshakes.
• Extremely accurate timing. Frame streams from different Test Points are tightly synchronized.

Price and Availability

The WaveTest Verification System is available today. A base WaveTest system with three Test Points is priced at U.S. $74,000.

About VeriWave, Inc.

VeriWave is a Portland, Oregon start-up company backed by major venture capital companies and formed to solve the burgeoning problem of testing and verifying wireless LAN products. For more information about VeriWave, go to www.veriwave.com or call (503) 473-8350.