Catalyst AirCom™—Quick & Easy Wireless USB Protocol Analysis
Fully compliant with MBOA PHY spec v1.1, The Catalyst AirCom operates as a non-intrusive sniffer and reliably captures WiMedia traffic at transfer rates from 53.3Mbps to 480Mbps. Ideal for OEMs getting started with WiMedia device integration, the AirCom leverages the Catalyst trace display and makes it easy to understand protocol events at the Wireless USB level. See Picture
Features | Data Capture & Trigger | Real Time Filtering | Protocol Errors | Integrated Frame Generator | Display Capability | Utilities
Features
- Intuitive GUI offers fast learning curve
- Easy mode provides menu-driven capture selections
- Hardware-based Triggering on high level wireless USB events
- FPGA-based analysis engine is field upgradeable
- Frame generator mode for creating repeatable traffic scenarios
Data Capture & Trigger
Real-time hardware-based event triggering makes it easy to isolate specific wireless USB events. Menu-driven selection of capture and trigger options makes setup fast and efficient. The AirCom provides default capture settings that record with one click and virtually no setup.
CAPTURE SELECTIONS
Capture selections are available from the following general categories:
- Snapshot (Default, captures everything)
- Frame
- Wireless USB Packet
- User Defined Frame
- Information Element
- Data Pattern
- Protocol Errors
Each of these categories provides additional sub-fields for further defining specific types of traffic for capture.
TRIGGER SELECTIONS
Triggering selections are available from the following general categories:
- Snapshot
- Timer
- External Trigger
- Manual Trigger
- Frame
- WUSB Packet
- User Defined Frame
- Information Element
- Transaction
- Data Pattern
- Protocol Errors
Most of these categories also provide an extensive set of sub-fields for further defining the trigger criteria.
Real Time Filtering
Real-time filtering of Wireless USB and UWB events, such as transactions, packets, transfers or specific host-device exchanges allows the user to selectively exclude redundant events from the trace. The include option allows users to filter-in specific events to the recording memory.
Protocol Errors
The Catalyst AirCom monitors, detects and triggers on up to 9 different protocol errors in real time:
- Header Unsupported Rate
- HCS Error
- FCS Error
- Payload Unsupported Rate
- Packet ID Error
- Frame Type Error
- Max MMC Interval Error
- MIFS Error
- SIFS Error
Integrated Frame Generator
The Catalyst AirCom provides for detailed definition and transmission of complete UWB frames, including PHY/MAC headers and Wireless USB payload. Text-based script files are easily modified to create valid and invalid WiMedia traffic conditions.
- Automatic and Manual Loop Back
- Single-shot or infinite transmission.
- Programmatically change channel and transmission rate
- One RF channel for Transmit or Record (not concurrently)
Display Capability
The AirCom System provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface display to assist in analyzing results. The results window provides for:
- Display of all captured transactions, packets or events
- On-Screen utility access
- Filtering of any packet type in or out
- Show/Hide fields for display simplification.
- Capability to change the color of the different fields in the viewer
- Display time delta between X, Y, & Trigger markers
- Zoom In and Zoom Out, Full Screen capability
- Notes and bookmarks
- Extensive Search utility
- Go to X, Y, Trigger cursors, Events, Packets, Transactions, Transfers
Utilities
The Search and Filtering utilities employ a smart interface that only allows searching for events that are actually present in the current trace. AirCom can search on the following:
- A data pattern
- A Wireless USB Packet
- A Transaction
- MMC IE Type
- MAC IE Type
- Packet with Protocol Error
- Search in any direction from start, end or X, Y or Trigger cursors in the viewer
Post-capture filtering allows hiding user-selected items from the display. The filter may be set to exclude:
- Specific Frames
- Specific WUSB Packets
- Specific Packets With Protocol Errors
The Catalyst AirCom is the fastest way to accelerate development of Wireless USB software, firmware and hardware.
