LitePoint Validated by Nordic Semiconductor for Over-the-Air Bluetooth Low Energy Device Testing

SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LitePoint^®, a leading provider of wireless test solutions, said today that Nordic Semiconductor has validated the LitePoint IQxel-M Bluetooth Advanced wireless test system for over-the-air (OTA) testing of products that use Nordic's market-leading Bluetooth low energy Systems-on-Chip (SoCs).

This will enable IoT device makers utilizing Nordic's nRF51 and nRF52 Series SoCs in their products to quickly perform critical OTA performance and functionality testing of their products to verify their designs and ramp to manufacturing. OTA testing is a requirement for Bluetooth LE devices that do not usually allow for traditional wired test methods because they are often fully encapsulated.

Additionally, products that include the nRF51 and nRF52 Series SoCs do not need special test firmware when utilizing the IQxel-M, but instead utilize the system's commercial firmware ensuring that the measurement results correlate with how the device is used in the end application.

A whitepaper published on the Nordic website says, "The IQxel-M with LitePoint Bluetooth Advanced measurement solution performs transmitter power, transmitter quality, and receiver sensitivity measurements, providing excellent coverage and confidence in the wireless performance of the device."

Nordic's market-leading nRF51 and nRF52 Series Bluetooth low energy SoCs are based on ARM^® M0, M4 and M4F processors and feature a range of devices with different features and Flash and RAM memory capacities for applications at all power consumption and cost levels. All Nordic's Bluetooth low energy solutions are fully compliant with versions of Bluetooth technology from Bluetooth 4.0 to the latest release.

"Nordic offers sophisticated wireless connectivity products which power advanced IoT applications. However, because the complexity of the product is hidden from the designer behind easy-to-use development tools, time to market is compressed," said Jon Gunnar Sponås, Group Manager Technical Support with Nordic Semiconductor. "Nordic's collaboration with LitePoint and its innovative OTA technology extends this design simplicity to testing because it means end products can be checked fully assembled, which better simulates real world conditions."

"IoT systems and sensor manufacturers must balance the need for high RF quality, which can make or break a product, with cost sensitivity," said Adam Smith, Director of Product Marketing at LitePoint. "We've developed the IQxel-M as a simple-to-deploy, over-the-air test solution that meets the needs of encapsulated IoT devices. We're pleased to work with Nordic Semiconductor to provide a proven system to its customers."

IQxel-M Technical Highlights

The IQxel-M is a comprehensive, one-box test solution for wireless connectivity testing and supports a wide variety of wireless standards including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRa and Sigfox. IQxel-M also supports navigation technologies including GPS, GLONASS and Beidou. The system can perform parallel testing of multiple devices (multi-DUT) while at the same time enabling the concurrent test of multiple technologies (Multicom™).

IQxel-M was built from the ground up for manufacturing with its rugged and compact design, the 2U-high chassis fits in a standard 19-inch rack, making it easy for rack and stack implementations.

For more information on LitePoint's IoT solutions, visit the LitePoint website.

More information on how to characterize and verify Bluetooth low energy devices through OTA testing can be found in the whitepaper titled "nRF5x OTA Testing with LitePoint Bluetooth Advanced," which can be found in the Nordic Semiconductor Infocenter on its website.

About LitePoint

LitePoint, creates wireless test solutions and services for the world's most innovative wireless device makers, helping them to ensure their products perform for today's demanding consumers. A leading innovator in wireless testing, LitePoint products come out of the box ready to test the most widely used wireless chipsets in the world. LitePoint works with the leading makers of smartphones, tablets, PCs, wireless access points and chipsets. LitePoint is also at the forefront of testing the burgeoning world of connected devices…the Internet of Things. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California and with offices around the world, LitePoint is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teradyne (NYSE:TER), a leading supplier of automation equipment for test and industrial applications. Teradyne had revenue of $2.14 billion in 2017 and currently employs approximately 4,500 people worldwide. For more, go to www.litepoint.com.

About Nordic Semiconductor

Nordic Semiconductor (OSX:NOD) is the world's leading Bluetooth^® Low Energy chip supplier and will expand into the low power cellular IoT market during 2018. Nordic's extended, multiple-award-winning Bluetooth chip ranges give product developers the price-performance flexibility to add ultra-low power (typically battery-powered) wireless connectivity to a uniquely wide range of applications. Examples include: wearables, sports watches, sports and health sensors, advanced RF remote controls, beacons, toys, wireless mice and keyboards, wireless IoT home and industrial automation sensors, and even smart jewelry and clothing. Visit the Nordic Semiconductor website to learn more.

Media Contact

Andy Blanchard
VP, Corporate Communications
Teradyne, Inc.
1 (978) 370-2425
investorrelations@teradyne.com
www.teradyne.com

Source: LitePoint