Analog Devices unveiled a major breakthrough in radio frequency (RF) detection for wireless infrastructure equipment. Analog Devices has developed the industry’s first logarithmic RF detector to accurately measure the power of radio signals from 1MHz to 8GHz, exceeding the previous maximum of 2.5GHz. Accurate RF power measurement can reduce the size and cost of expensive RF power transmitters, and is a key to easing wireless network management challenges. Maintaining the detector dynamic range up to 8GHz has never before been possible.

The AD8318, a monolithic semiconductor-based detector, is superior to traditional alternatives because it is more cost-effective than module solutions and more accurate than discrete diode-based detectors. Its unique combination of accuracy and broad dynamic range allows the device to be used in many types of wireless communications infrastructure equipment, including GSM, CDMA, and W-CDMA cellular base stations (which operate up to 2GHz), W-LAN 802.11 applications (which require 5GHz), and point-to-point fixed wireless systems (which operate up to 30GHz).