Rohde & Schwarz has taken an early lead in next-generation WLAN testing by integrating Wi-Fi 8 RF tests in signaling mode into its CMX500 one-box signaling tester, well before the final ratification of the new IEEE standard.
Working with Broadcom, the company has successfully validated a prototype Wi-Fi 8 device, confirming the CMX500’s ability to verify the latest physical layer features designed to move Wi-Fi beyond raw speed toward ultra-high reliability (UHR) performance.
At MWC Barcelona 2026, Rohde & Schwarz and Broadcom will showcase this joint achievement live. Visitors to the Rohde & Schwarz booth (5A80) can see the CMX500 multi-technology, multi-channel signaling tester in action, demonstrating newly added Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) testing capabilities and cutting-edge physical layer functions unique to the upcoming standard.
Tackling the UHR challenges of Wi-Fi 8
As Wi-Fi evolves, the focus is shifting from maximizing throughput to ensuring consistent, high-quality connectivity in increasingly dense and demanding environments.
The upcoming IEEE 802.11bn amendment, better known as Wi-Fi 8, addresses this need by supporting advanced use cases like AR/VR, 8K streaming, and industrial IoT, where reliability and latency are just as critical as speed.
Building on the Wi-Fi 7 foundation, Wi-Fi 8 maintains key parameters such as frequencies up to 7.125-GHz, channel bandwidths up to 320-MHz, 4096QAM modulation, and Multi-Link Operation (MLO). However, to achieve ultra-high reliability, it introduces new PHY and MAC layer technologies and with them, fresh testing challenges.
At MWC 2026, Rohde & Schwarz will demonstrate how the enhanced CMX500 can meet these demands through comprehensive signaling tests that analyze device performance across a wide range of Wi-Fi 8 features.
Bringing new Wi-Fi 8 technologies to life
Wi-Fi 8 introduces innovations like distributed resource units (dRU), which help overcome power spectral density (PSD) limits. Using dRU measurements, engineers can assess how effectively a device boosts uplink transmit power and improves connection stability. Another breakthrough, unequal modulation (UEQM), allows each MIMO link to operate with a different modulation scheme, boosting throughput in challenging conditions.
With UEQM analysis and other advanced capabilities, the CMX500 provides in-depth insight into how devices dynamically adapt modulation using the correct modulation and coding scheme (MCS) combinations.
Together, these tools enable engineers to evaluate key performance characteristics critical to Wi?Fi 8 reliability.
One platform for cellular and non-cellular technologies
The R&S CMX500 stands as a fully modular, all-in-one tester supporting a range of technologies including LTE, 5G NR (SA and NSA), NR-NTN, NB-NTN, Direct-to-Cell (D2C), and Wi-Fi 7 and 8. This versatility makes it possible for R&D engineers to test their device designs across both cellular and non-cellular standards of the latest generation in a single setup.
Rohde & Schwarz invites visitors to MWC Barcelona 2026 to experience how the CMX500 one-box signaling tester validates next-generation Wi-Fi 8 devices from Broadcom, alongside other advanced test solutions for future WLAN technologies. See it live at Fira Gran Via, Hall-5, Booth-5A80.
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