The RI 3101 from Ranatec is an 8x8 Butler Matrix that operates from 2.4 to 8 GHz. The Butler Matrix is used to control the directions of a beam (s) of radio transmission by switching power to the desired beam port in a beamforming network. In transmit mode it delivers the full power of the transmitter to the beam, and in receive mode, it collects the signal from each of the beam directions with the full gain of the antenna array. It can be used for multichannel MIMO testing for up to 8+8 antenna ports and covers all current Bluetooth and Wi-Fi bands. This butler matrix can also be used for antenna array beamforming and interface testing for multiple systems in the frequency range, and for multichannel multipath emulation.
The RI 3101 has an output phase accuracy of ±10° and an output amplitude deviation of ±3 dB. It can handle an input power of up to 5 W, has an insertion loss of less than 13 dB, and provides an isolation of more than 13 dB. This butler matrix is available in a module that measures 138 x 131 x 19 mm and has SMA-female connectors.
