WiGig Technology Antenna Evaluation

Wireless connectivity speeds reaching the multi-gigabit range are gaining wide interest as they offer advanced high speed data transmissions. The Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig Alliance), formed to develop and sponsor a wireless technology utilizing the 60 GHz frequency band, is currently developing the specifications needed to establish an industry uniform standard for data transmissions at rates of up to 7 Gigabits per second (Gbps). This rate is an order of magnitude faster than current communications standards.

WiGig devices require precise antenna pattern measurements - specifically beam pointing angle, directivity, and gain (and thus efficiency). These parameters will be required to evaluate link margin and signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, sidelobes will be important to evaluate potential multipath effects in the operational environment. Adaptive beamforming also needs to be evaluated to verify the ability of the array to optimize link margin and signal-to-noise ratio.