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Home Shop Wireless Design and Test Application Software for Wireless Design Test What is RFmx?

What is NI RFmx?

​RFmx is a set of interoperable software applications that optimize NI RF instrumentation for general-purpose, cellular, connectivity, and aerospace and defense test applications. RFmx simplifies your signal generation, signal analysis, and RF measurement experience.

RFmx Soft Front Panel

Why Should I Use RFmx?

RFmx streamlines RF signal generation and analysis by accelerating configuration and time to first measurement. Soft Front Panels in NI InstrumentStudio™ software provide a customizable interface for connecting to hardware, enabling users to easily perform measurements and debug automated tests. Parallelized execution ensures maximum instrument utilization for test time reduction. With dedicated personalities for conventional spectrum analysis and standard defined signals including 5G New Radio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, RFmx transforms versatile RF instruments—including NI PXI Vector Signal Transceivers—into tailored, application-specific test systems, from design to manufacturing test.

Product Features

  • Quickly Create and Generate Standard Compliant Waveforms

    RF signal generation is made easy with the ability to quickly generate standard complaint waveforms or create custom signals. RFmx Waveform Creator enables simple configuration, visualization, and playback.

  • Interactively Analyze Signals, Monitor Test Results, and Debug Measurements

    Instrument interaction is simple with a unified, customizable user interface for RF test in InstrumentStudio, the same software used for other PXI instruments such as SMUs, oscilloscopes, and more.

  • Simplify Automation and Accelerate Test Execution

    Built with speed and test optimization in mind, RFmx APIs yield faster results by abstracting complex RF analysis with a common measurement-centric programing interface.

Key Benefits

  • Application-Specific Measurement Configurations—Configure general-purpose, cellular, connectivity, pulse, VNA, or IoT measurements—with RFmx personalities. RFmx has the measurement personality to transform your PXI RF instruments into application-specific test systems that are suited to your exact test requirements.
  • Accelerated Development—Start automation with programming examples for every measurement in NI LabVIEW and text-based languages. Export configurations to code, leverage RFmx APIs, or quickly configure automated characterization sequences for an enhanced workflow—from validation to production test.
  • Fast Time to First Measurement—Begin taking measurements out of the box with interactive Soft Front Panels and generate and modify unlocked waveforms using RFmx Waveform Creator. Intuitive and easy to use, RFmx streamlines validation and debugging test scenarios.
  • Wide-Ranging and Up-To-Date Standard Compliance—Ensure signal generation and analysis test for cellular, connectivity, and IoT signals is up-to-date and standard-complaint. With quarterly releases, the latest 3GPP and IEEE standards are already part of RFmx, along with legacy wireless standards.
  • Fully Integrated Test Bench—Ensure accurate results for general-purpose and standard-compliant RF measurements and integrate with digital, DC, and analog I/O for a fully integrated test bench. Plus, RFmx in InstrumentStudio connects seamlessly with NI PXI hardware.
  • Faster Execution—Complete testing quicker with innate high-speed measurement algorithms and composite measurement functionality. RFmx enables test plan optimization for instrument utilization with native, multi-threaded parallel measurement execution.

Consider Purchasing an RFmx Bundle

 

RFmx bundles group together RFmx personalities that are commonly used together in many RF test applications. Leverage related personalities for increased measurement capabilities, coverage of new and legacy wireless standards, and simplified licensing in a single, cost-effective package.

RFmx General-Purpose

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Save more than 57% 

 

Recommended for general-purpose RF measurements and spectral analysis.

 

  • RFmx Noise Figure

  • RFmx Phase Noise

  • RFmx Analog and Digital Modulation

  • Analysis-Only Mode 

  

Buy RFmx General-Purpose

RFmx Cellular

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Save more than 60%

 

Recommended for cellular standards-based measurements.

 

  • RFmx NR

  • RFmx LTE/LTE-Advanced

  • All 2G to 4G legacy standards

  • Analysis-Only Mode 

  

Buy RFmx Cellular

RFmx Connectivity

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Save more than 60%

 

Recommended for WLAN and Bluetooth standards-based measurements.

 

  • RFmx WLAN

  • RFmx Bluetooth

  • Analysis-Only Mode

  

Buy RFmx Connectivity

RFmx Personality Details

RFmx General-Purpose Bundle

Personality Description Measurements Purchase

RFmx Noise Figure

Provides interactive and automated measurements for noise figure analysis

  • Noise figure
  • Gain
  • Effective temperature (Y-factor and cold source)
  • Analyzer noise figure
  • DUT noise figure
  • DUT noise gain
  • Synthetic noise source
 Purchase

RFmx Phase Noise

Provides interactive and automated measurements for phase noise analysis

  • Phase noise
  • Spot noise
  • Integrated noise
  • Integrated phase noise 
  • Residual PM/FM
  • Jitter
 Purchase

RFmx Analog Modulation

Provides analog modulated signal generation and analysis for test applications

  • Analyze AM, PM, FM waveforms
  • Frequency phase offset
  • Analog modulation depth
  • Frequency/phase deviation 
  • Analyze demodulated signal waveform, spectrum, and distortion
 Purchase

RFmx Digital Modulation

Provides digital modulated signal generation and analysis for test applications

  • Analyze ASK, FSK, PSK, and QAM
  • EVM (non-standard specific)
  • Modulation error rate (MER)
  • Rho 
  • Amplitude drop
 Purchase

RFmx Analysis-Only Mode

Provides analysis of saved RF waveform data acquired from NI hardware, third-party hardware, or simulation

Perform RF measurements with third-party hardware, simulated waveforms, and on waveform data that was acquired previously and saved to a disk

 Purchase

RFmx Cellular Bundle

Personality Description Measurements Purchase

RFmx NR

Provides signal generation and analysis for 5G New Radio (NR) cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, power versus time (PVT), SEM, TxP

  • NR uplink ACP, NR EN-DC ACP

  • NR downlink ACP

  • NR uplink SEM, NI EN-DC SEM 

  • NR downlink SEM

  • NR CHP

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

  • Support for all 3GPP 5G NR releases (Rel-15 and on) 

 Purchase

RFmx LTE/LTE-Advanced

Provides signal generation and analysis for LTE, LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, power versus time (PVT), SEM, TxP

  • LTE channels and carrier aggregation

  • Licensed assistance access (LAA)

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific) 

  • Support for all 3GPP LTE releases (Rel-8 to Rel-14)

 Purchase

RFmx NB-IoT/eMTC

Provides signal generation and analysis for NB-IoT and eMTC cellular test applications

  • Narrowband/wideband retuning

  • Frequency hopping

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

  • Support for NB-IoT/eMTC specifications (Rel-13) 

 Purchase

RFmx CDMA2000

Provides signal generation and analysis for cdmaOne and CDMA2000 1xRTT cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, SEM

  • QEVM

  • Code domain analysis (CDA)

  • CDMA2k SlotPower 

  • CDMA2k SlotPhase

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

  • Support for CDMA2000 specifications

 Purchase

RFmx EV-DO

Provides signal generation and analysis for 1xEV-DO cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, SEM

  • Code domain analysis (CDA)

  • Code domain error (CDE)

  • EV-DO SlotPower 

  • EV-DO SlotPhase

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

 Purchase

RFmx TD-SCDMA

Provides signal generation and analysis for TD-SCDMA cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, SEM

  • Code domain analysis (CDA)

  • Code domain error (CDE)

  • Transmit on/off power (PVT) 

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

 Purchase

RFmx W-CDMA/HSPA+

Provides signal generation and analysis for W-CDMA, HSPA, and HSPA+ cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, SEM

  • QEVM

  • SlotPhase

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific) 

 Purchase

RFmx LTE-V2X

Provides signal generation and analysis for LTE-V2X cellular test applications

  • ACP, CHP, EVM, OBW, power versus time (PVT), SEM

  • PSSCH

  • Retransmission

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific) 

 Purchase

RFmx GSM/Edge+

Provides signal generation and analysis for GSM, EDGE, and EDGE Evolved cellular test applications

  • ModAcc

  • Power versus time (PVT)

  • Output radio frequency spectrum (ORFS)

  • Phase and frequency error 

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

 Purchase

RFmx Analysis-Only Mode

Provides analysis of saved RF waveform data acquired from NI hardware, third-party hardware, or simulation

Perform RF measurements with third-party hardware, simulated waveforms, and on waveform data that was acquired previously and saved to a disk

 Purchase

RFmx Connectivity Bundle

Personality Description Measurements Purchase

RFmx WLAN

Provides signal generation and analysis for WLAN 802.11a/b/g/j/p/n/ac/ax/be test applications

  • DSSS modulation accuracy

  • OFDM modulation accuracy

  • Common pilot error (CPE)

  • Trigger-based PPDU ModAcc 

  • Unused tone error

  • Power ramp

  • SEM

  • EVM 

  • Transmit power

  • ModAcc power measurement

  • I/Q impairments

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific) 

 Purchase

RFmx Bluetooth

Provides signal generation and analysis functionality for different Bluetooth technology applications

  • 20 dB bandwidth

  • ACP

  • Frequency range

  • Modulation accuracy 

  • df1 and df2

  • EDR differential EVM

  • Frequency error measurements (BR, EDR, LE)

  • Transmit power 

  • Create and playback waveforms (standard specific)

  • Support for Bluetooth 5.0 and legacy Bluetooth, 5.1, 5.2, BLE

 Purchase

RFmx Analysis-Only Mode

Provides analysis of saved RF waveform data acquired from NI hardware, third-party hardware, or simulation

Perform RF measurements with third-party hardware, simulated waveforms, and on waveform data that was acquired previously and saved to a disk

 Purchase

Other RFmx Personalities

Personality Description Measurements Purchase

RFmx SpecAn

Enables basic RF generation and analysis capabilities including interactive and automated measurements for time-domain and spectrum analysis

  • Spectral analysis

  • Window and FFT

  • RBW and swept time

  • RF center frequency and span 

  • Zero span

  • Detectors (sample, peak, negative peak, averages)

  • Power averaging (RMS, log max/min, vector)

  • Occupied bandwidth 

  • Channel power

  • Intermodulation

  • I/Q

  • Transmit power 

  • CCDF

  • PAvT

  • Harmonics

 Download

RFmx Power Amplifier

Provides signal generation and analysis for power amplifier test applications

  • Adjacent channel power (ACP, ACLR, SEM) non-standard specific

  • AM-AM/PM (relative phase, power)

  • Raw EVM

  • PXdB compression point

  • Crest factor reduction (CFR)

     

Pair with RFIC Test Software for:

 Purchase

RFmx Pulse

Helps perform interactive and automated measurements for pulse analysis

  • Pulse profile measurements (time, level, phase, frequency)

  • FM chirp modulation

  • Pulse stability (amplitude, phase)

 Purchase

RFmx VNA

Allows for S-parameter measurements through compatible VNAs and instrument calibration

  • S-parameter measurements

  • Automated calibration support

 Download

RFmx Analysis-Only Mode

Provides analysis of saved RF waveform data acquired from NI hardware, third-party hardware, or simulation

Perform RF measurements with third-party hardware, simulated waveforms, and on waveform data that was acquired previously and saved to a disk

 Purchase
See all Wireless Design and Test Software Products

Supported Hardware

From left to right, images of the PXIe-5820, PXIe-5841, and PXIe-5842 Vector Signal Transceivers​

NI PXI Vector Signal Transceivers

The PXI Vector Signal Transceiver (VST) combines an RF and baseband vector signal analyzer and generator with a user-programmable FPGA and high-speed serial and parallel digital interfaces for real-time signal processing and control from baseband to mmWave.​

PXIe-5633 Vector Network Analyzer Module​

NI PXI Vector Network Analyzers​

The RFmx VNA measurement personality can be used in conjunction with the NI PXIe-5633 Vector Network Analyzer for S-parameter measurements in the same front panel as modulated RF measurements.​

PXIe-5668 Vector Signal Analyzer Modules​

NI PXI Vector Signal Analyzers​

The PXI Vector Signal Analyzer (VSA) performs spectrum measurements, demodulation, and signal analysis and can measure the magnitude and phase of an input signal at a certain frequency within a specified bandwidth.​

Featured Content

PXIe-5842 Vector Signal Transceiver Module​

​Introduction to the NI PXIe-5842 Third-Generation PXI Vector Signal Transceiver​

The PXIe-5842 Vector Signal Transceiver offers continuous frequency coverage from 30 MHz up to 26.5 GHz and up to 2 GHz instantaneous RF bandwidth. Prepare for the future of tomorrow’s RF and wireless technologies with the PXIe-5842.​

Front view of PXIe-5842 with 54 GHz Frequency Extension​

​Instrument Innovations in mmWave Test​

Pair RFmx with mmWave VSTs for frequency coverage up to 54 GHz.​ Learn how to configure test applications using RFmx at mmWave frequencies.

XI System including PXI Vector Signal Transceiver, Remote Measurement Module, and monitor showing RFmx software ​

5G Advanced​ – Expansion 5G Technology Explained

3GPP Rel-18 (5G Advanced) brings with it the implementation of new technologies in the development of 6G wireless.​ Learn how RFmx enables test of RFICs for 5G Advanced.

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