RF Testing & Regulatory Compliance

Testing for Wi-Fi/WLAN connectivity

Connecting homes, office and factories

Wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, based on the IEEE 802.11 standard series, has been one of the most successful wireless communication technologies over the last 25 years. It utilizes an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) access scheme and typically operates in license-exempt bands such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz, and 60 GHz. WLAN supports a significant portion of traffic from various devices in modern wireless communication networks.

The sixth generation of Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6), based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard, enhances communication efficiency and is the first to operate in the newly available 6 GHz spectrum (Wi-Fi 6E). The seventh generation (Wi-Fi 7), based on IEEE 802.11be / EHT, is also here, offering extremely high throughput. And IEEE is already developing the next generation of Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 8), focusing on an improved customer experience and ultra-high reliability (IEEE 802.11bn / UHR).

Wi-Fi device testing

With each new generation of Wi-Fi, radio designs increase in complexity to meet customer expectations. Testing Wi-Fi devices, access points (AP) and stations (STA) at all phases of the product lifecycle is essential to standards conformance, regulatory compliance, quality targets and customer experience.

In Wi-Fi ecosystems, several industry consortia and interest groups define test requirements and setups. 

The tests can be divided into three groups:

• Non signaling testing: physical layer compliance and performance testing for early R&D, design verification testing (DVT) and highly automated production environments
• Signaling testing: more complex measurement tasks involving layers above the physical layer
• Reference STA/AP: signaling testing with reference devices mainly used for Wi-Fi Alliance certification 

Wi-Fi/WLAN test solutions

Nekantronic assists you in choosing the test and measurement solutions strategy for Wi-Fi AP testing and Wi-Fi STA testing:

• Wi-Fi 8 Testing 
• Wi-Fi 7 -IEEE 802.11be testing
• Wi-Fi 6/6E -IEEE 802.11ax testing
• Wi-Fi 5 -IEEE 802.11ac PHY testing
• WLAN IEEE 802.11ad/ay testing
• WLAN IEEE 802.11p testing
• Wi-Fi and cellular convergence

• Standard  : 802.11be / 802.11ax / 802.11bn
• Bandwidth : 80MHz / 160 MHz / 320MHz
• Packet Format : EHT_MU / HE_SU / UHR_MU / UHR_ELR
• Frequency : 6945 MHz
• Data Rate :MCS0 to / MCS23

     Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn), often called "Ultra High Reliability" (UHR), is the next-generation wireless standard currently under development, with expected finalization around 2028–2030.

     Unlike previous generations, it prioritizes consistent, stable, and low-latency connections over peak speed, improving performance in crowded environments and increasing range.

  Key Features of Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn)

• Ultra-High Reliability (UHR): Focuses on maintaining steady connections in complex environments with many devices.

    Multi-AP Coordination:

• Allows routers and access points to work together for smoother roaming and reduced signal interference.
• Distributed Resource Units (DRUs): Boosts performance and efficiency for connected devices.
• Enhanced Long Range (ELR): Improves signal strength and data rates for devices far from the router.
• Improved Power Efficiency: Better scheduling for smart home sensors and IoT devices to save battery.
• Real-world Speed Gains: While not focused on top speed, improvements in MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) are expected to increase real-world transmission rates by 5–30%. 

Wi-Fi 8 vs. Wi-Fi 7

While Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) focused on maximizing throughput and bandwidth,

Wi-Fi 8 aims to fix issues with connection reliability and efficiency. 

It will continue to use the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz spectrums. 

When to Expect Wi-Fi 8

Development began in late 2023, with draft versions emerging in 2025–2026. 

However, consumer products and official finalization are expected closer to 2028-2029

STANDARD TEST_CATEGORY MEASUREMENTS DATA_RATE      PACKET_FORMAT

802.11be STA_RX_DL_SU PER                              MCS13          EHT_MU

802.11ax STA_RX_DL_SU PER                              MCS11          HE_SU

802.11bn STA_RX_DL_SU PER                              MCS23          UHR_MU