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Controlled RF interference

MT-Wave

Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi interference generator

MT-Wave is a compact RF interference generator for stress-testing wireless devices. It contains two independent radios: one generates real Wi-Fi traffic on the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands, the other plays Bluetooth, Zigbee, DFS radar and AWGN signals.

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RF1: Wi-Fi on 2.4 GHzRF3: Bluetooth

2.4 GHz

11 channels

5 GHz

25 channels

6 GHz

59 channels

BluetoothZigbeeRadarAWGN
Wi-Fi bands
2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz
Wi-Fi output level
−30 to +15 dBm
Inter-frame spacing
16 to 3000 µs
DFS radar library
8 regions

Key features

Wi-Fi interference

The Wi-Fi radio transmits continuous 802.11 traffic that the unit generates itself. Placing it on the same channel as the device under test, or on a neighboring one, produces co-channel or adjacent-channel interference at a level and channel load you choose.

Standards
IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax
Bands
2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz
Channel bandwidth
20, 40 or 80 MHz
Transmit chains
One chain or 2×2 MIMO
Output level
−30 to +15 dBm in 1 dB steps, ±0.5 dB accuracy
RF output
RF1 (front panel)
Channel 36Channel 40Channel 44Device under testMT-Wave
Illustration of signal placement and level, not to scale.

Non-Wi-Fi interference

The second radio plays ready-made recordings of Bluetooth, Zigbee, radar and noise signals. You choose which signal to play and where to place it in the spectrum. One signal type is active at a time, and it runs independently of the Wi-Fi radio.

Output level setting
−35 to +12 dBm in 1 dB steps
Playback
Continuous loop until stopped
RF output
RF3 (front panel)
2402 MHz2480 MHz
Signal types
Bluetooth Classic, Low Energy and Long Range
Channel
0 to 78 (2402 to 2480 MHz in 1 MHz steps)

Applications

  • Wi-Fi robustness and QoS

    Access point and client behavior under co-channel and adjacent-channel congestion.

    • Wi-Fi

  • Wi-Fi / Bluetooth coexistence

    In the 2.4 GHz band.

    • Wi-Fi
    • Bluetooth

  • Zigbee, Thread and Matter coexistence

    With busy Wi-Fi channels.

    • Wi-Fi
    • Zigbee

  • DFS development and pre-compliance

    Radar detection, channel availability check and channel-move behavior.

    • Radar

  • 6 GHz and Wi-Fi 6E stress testing

    Across U-NII-5 to U-NII-8.

    • Wi-Fi

  • Sensitivity and SNR curves

    Raise the noise floor with AWGN without moving the device under test.

    • AWGN

  • Regression and field-issue reproduction

    Scripted, repeatable interference scenarios.

    • HTTP API

Reference test configuration

A typical Wavemetrik setup (MT-SYS1) pairs MT-Wave with the MT-C24 client emulator and a shielded enclosure. MT-Wave injects controlled interference while MT-C24 generates the reference traffic, giving repeatable rate-versus-range (RVR, RVRO) and coexistence runs.

InterferenceReference traffic

Select a part of the setup to see what it does.

Injects controlled interference into the enclosure while MT-C24 generates the reference traffic.

  • Wi-Fi interference on 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz from RF1
  • Bluetooth, Zigbee, radar and AWGN from RF3
  • Wi-Fi output from −30 to +15 dBm in 1 dB steps

Sample test results

The plots show device throughput for each WMM traffic class as the MT-Wave interferer level is stepped from −20 dBm (heavy interference) to −70 dBm (negligible interference), for two access points.

Move across either chart to read both access points at the same interferer level.

Access point Model-1

Wi-Fi 6E reference

Throughput at −46 dBm, Mbps

Voice
5
Video
100
Best effort
975
Background
965
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
−20
−30
−40
−50
−60
−70
−46 dBm
HeavyInterferer level (dBm)Negligible
Best-effort and background traffic recover at about −40 dBm; voice and video recover at about −52 dBm.

Access point Model-2

Wi-Fi 7, configured to 802.11ax 6E

Throughput at −46 dBm, Mbps

Voice
0
Video
0
Best effort
75
Background
60
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
−20
−30
−40
−50
−60
−70
−46 dBm
HeavyInterferer level (dBm)Negligible
All traffic classes need a weaker interferer, about −55 dBm, before throughput recovers.

Model-1 supports up to Wi-Fi 6E and Model-2 up to Wi-Fi 7; for a like-for-like comparison MT-C24 was set to 802.11ax on 6 GHz. Interferer levels include over-the-air and cable losses.

Build your test environment

Put MT-Wave to work.

Tell us about your devices, test requirements and lab. We’ll help you find the right configuration.

Talk to our team