REALM, anchored by two six-axis industrial robot arms based on our lab’s pioneering Configurable Robotic MilliMeter-wave Antenna (CROMMA) system, fosters the development of next-generation 5G wireless and spectrum-sharing systems through dynamic measurements, flexible scan geometries, and high speeds. Between the newer, dual-robot range and CROMMA, the Antenna Metrology Project tests and characterizes multiple steered-beam and other antennas from ultra-high frequency (UHF, from 300 megahertz through 3 gigahertz) through the 500 gigahertz range.
National Broadband Interoperability Test Bed (NBIT)
NBIT supports studies in wireless coexistence metrology and standards, providing a flexible work environment for CTL's Trusted Spectrum Testing Program. NBIT lets researchers understand how radar, LTE, Wi-Fi and other systems interact in an integrated environment combining large anechoic and reverberation chambers. By enabling the testing of multiple independent networks in a controlled environment, NBIT sheds light on these independent, uncoordinated systems’ ability to coexist without interference – an understanding critical to developing hardware and software capable of delivering on the promise of spectrum sharing. Unique to NBIT is the integration of a live LTE network, which enables real-world testing of this complex and increasingly ubiquitous wireless-data protocol.
Internet of Things/Cyber-Physical Systems Testbed
The IoT/CPS Testbed (NIST Gaithersburg campus, adjacent and connectable with the CTL Smart Grid Testbed) is designed to support measurements on a broad range of multi-domain applications, primarily through integration of co-simulation and hardware in the loop testing. The testbed uses the NIST-developed Universal CPS Environment for Federation (UCEF), a software package that enables the creation and management of configurations of both virtual (simulation) and physical (hardware) experimental components of the system under test. The CPS/IoT testbed will enable exploration and testing of IoT and IoT-at-scale applications, including applications in automated driving systems, transactive energy (smart grid), communications, and smart cities
Public Safety Communication Innovation Laboratory
The lab is focused on next-generation communication capabilities for first responders and maintains a modernized private network with high-density virtual servers that host an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and an IP Multimedia System (IMS). The EPC establishes voice and data connections between a variety of user devices, while the IMS delivers streaming media content to the network.
NIST Industrial Wireless 5G Testbed
The NIST 5G Industrial Wireless Testbed is a pioneering project designed to reshape industrial connectivity by deploying and evaluating 5th generation (5G) wireless technology in an industrial context. Focused on addressing the demands of Industry 4.0, this initiative incorporates a cyber-physical component, showcasing the symbiotic integration of digital and physical systems. Objectives include evaluating 5G performance, enabling low-latency applications, enhancing connectivity, and assessing security and reliability. (Read more.)
5G Coexistence Testbed
CTL’s 5G Coexistence Testbed is a carrier-grade implementation with a focus on metrology for emerging 5G spectrum sharing, coexistence, and interference testing. The infrastructure allows for side-by-side testing of critical communications systems for federal and commercial stakeholders. Accommodate a variety of test campaigns conducted, radiated, and hybrid measurements. Data classification can be accommodated up to Proprietary, CRADA, or Commercially Sensitive.