AMP-RX82 RF Splitter

Introduction

The AMP-RX82 RF Splitter is a custom designed RF board that implements x2 1-to-8 wideband active signal splitters in one convenient and easy-to-use package. What makes it unique is that the whole design was tailored towards WiFi and BlueTooth bands of operation. The Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) not only compensates total RF losses after multiple signal divisions, but also presents a significant signal gain on each of the output ports.

This board is an ideal building block component for multi-radio platforms, where a number of multi-chain radios require a large number of antennas to be implemented. With the help of AMP-RX82 RF Splitter integrator(s), you can use fewer expensive antennas while delivering a strong, high-quality RF signal to multi-radio assembly.

The high-quality, 4-layer PCB construction features a purposely chosen Mini-ITX form factor that allows integrator(s) to directly mount the AMP-RX82 RF Splitter to the top or bottom of a legacy Mini-ITX motherboard, or one of our Airbud-PCIe and Airbud-RTL Radio Boards.

Where to Buy

AMP-RX82 RF Splitter Features

Two (x2) 1x8 active RF Splitters on the same PCB
x18 SMA antenna connectors
x2 High Quality LNA (Low Noise Amplifier)
DC – 6 GHz Frequency Range
9 – 10 dB gain in 2.4 – 2.5 GHz band, 2-4 dB gain in 5.0 – 6.0 GHz band
3V - 18V DC, 100mA power consumption at 5V
Mini-ITX form factor

Availability

Assembled and tested AMP-RX82 RF Splitter models are available for pre-orders RETIRED.

All our appliances and components are assembled and tested by local staff (Ottawa, Canada).

Documentation & Support

Coming soon...

AMP-RX82 RF Splitter Story and Use Cases

What Makes The AMP-RX82 RF Splitter So Unique And Powerful?

There are no other market offerings that will allow x2 antennas, x8 way split tailored for WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and BlueTooth bands in such a compact and elegant design. Careful layout consideration, along with the location of the RF connectors in particular, allows for easy system integration and/or standalone use.

Why Are We Doing This?

Previous research and development conducted for large scale Wi-Fi detection and monitoring proved the following concept: Wireless monitoring technology using a number of simultaneous USB and PCIe-based radio channels being monitored is very beneficial with respect to the number of devices detected and the amount of data captured.

However, with field testing results, along with the development and construction of the initial prototypes, it became evident that increasing the number of radios per system and re-arranging the required receiving antennas quickly became challenging, from both a usability and mechanical standpoint. Additionally, there were clear cross-talk and interference problems.

We hypothesized that the combination of a RF power divider and low noise amplifier would be a viable method for reducing the number of antennas needed per system, while also having the benefit of amplifying weaker signals.

Even though the concept of RF signal splitting (as well as amplification in a low-noise domain) is well developed and studied in multiple research papers, it has never been tested or tried with 802.11 technologies. Technological uncertainty was evidenced by the fact that due to a strict requirement for gain flatness across a very wide frequency range, it is less likely that any existent RF splitter designs would work as intended.

At a minimum, targeted research, investigation, development and testing are required to identify the most likely design candidates and test conceptual changes in order to achieve desirable results.

We initially sought to develop the architecture of a prototype and its key components to serve as the underlying technology for enhanced receival and distribution of antenna signals. This supports the wireless monitoring and data capture prototypes we developed as a R&D effort in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

We investigated and tested all known RF signal splitter concepts for suitable use with 802.11 wireless devices such as Wilkinson, Tapper Line, Lump Elements, Embedded Slot, Reactive, Transformer Based, Resistive and many others. Due to the uniqueness of our hypothesized concept, each trial required a separate hardware prototype build, followed by RF testing and comparative analysis.

As a result of our R&D efforts, we developed a prototype architecture (i.e. a combination of resistive splitter and LNA) that would support the required number of RF signal channels (8 and 16), coupled with the ability to deliver a signal from a single antenna to multiple radio appliances. This is done in compliance with 802.11 standard requirements for channel bandwidth and the corresponding gain flatness.

Applications - What Are AMP-RX82 RF Splitter Use Cases?

Ideal platform to implement multi-radio detection and monitoring systems
Any application that requires access to large number of radio resources with limited space for antennas implementation