EMI Suppression Filters (EMC and Noise Suppression)Case: Improving the speed of Wi-Fi communication

We need to find a way to reduce the slowdowns that we’re experiencing in the speed of our Wi-Fi® communications. What is the latest noise suppression technology that can fix our problems?

Issue

“Our new digital camera models will incorporate Wi-Fi functions. However, we are worried about our design expertise.”

Company T designs the circuit boards used in digital cameras, electronic dictionaries, and other mobile devices, and it delivers these components to its parent company, a finished products manufacturer. In response to the needs of users to import images from digital cameras to PCs and upload the photos directly to websites, the company decided to feature wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) functions in its next-term mainstay models, and it busied itself gathering information.

Our new digital camera models will incorporate Wi-Fi functions. However, we are worried about our design expertise.

However, without the advantage of having expertise of its own about assembling Wi-Fi modules into the cameras, Company T found itself repeatedly engaging in trial and error in its attempts to design the required boards.

“After a great deal of hard work, we were finally able to come up with some prototypes. But the problem was that the communication speed was too slow.”

The company had barely managed to fabricate prototypes that incorporated Wi-Fi modules, and it now started the verification process. However, it realized that the communication speed for some channels was extremely slow. Since all the prototypes yielded the same results, the company carried out many checks centering on the matching of the characteristics concerning the antenna, but there were no problems with the Wi-Fi modules or with any of the other components.

After performing the verifications repeatedly, one of the engineers suspected that noise could be the problem, and the design team decided to ascertain the noise status and track down the sources of noise generation.

However, each time the verification was repeated using the evaluation apparatus and equipment that Company T had in its possession, the results were different. Even after two weeks had passed, the causes had still not been identified, and the frustration this engendered was beginning to make the engineers feel exhausted.

Main points of the issues:

  1. The company did not have any expertise concerning the design of circuits that incorporate Wi-Fi functions.
  2. In the prototypes, the rated communication speed was not obtained, and the cause could not be pinpointed.
  3. Noise was suspected but, with the use of the company’s apparatus and equipment, the results were not consistent, and the causes could not be identified.
How can we solve this problem?