Protocol Analyzer for Wireless USB
-- Test & Measurement World, 8/23/2005 11:53:00 AM
Wireless USB is the next iteration of the now ubiquitous computer bus. Products are now in development with volume shipping forcasted for 2007. Designed to run at 480 Mbps across 3-ft. of space and 110 Mbps over 10 ft., wireless USB has the potential for applications in cell phones, digital cameras, printers, and many other devices. Because it runs on top of a wireless physical interface, wireless USB protocols are more complex than its wired cousin. LeCroy's UWB Tracer captures and decides data over four protocol layers--physical, media access control, transaction, and transfer layers--so you can see which layer is the cause of interoperability problems.
The UWB tracer uses software similar to other protocol analyzers made by CATC, the company that LeCroy acquired in 2004. Its software lets you drill down the protocol stack until you find the source of an error. Besides providing protocol decodes, the UWB Tracer provides statistics such as frame rate and frames with errors.
The UWB Tracer connects to your signals through a connector interface that's compatible with the IDE and Hirose connectors, the two currently under consideration in the wireless USB standard.
Price: $55,000. LeCroy, www.lecroy.com.
