Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) announced a new option for its 89600 VSA software designed to enable downstream modulation analysis of DOCSIS 3.1. Option BHM is intended to provide decoding of physical-layer link channel (PLC) information and measurements of modulation error ratio (MER) and bit error rate (BER).

The DOCSIS 3.1 option is designed to provide post-processing analysis of PLC-coded, standards-compliant downstream signals. The software extracts the next codeword pointer (NCP) from acquired signals, creates the necessary OFDM map and demodulates DOCSIS 3.1 signals. It can then measure MER and BER and accumulate long-term results.

Developers can also use a separate option, BHF, custom OFDM modulation analysis, to characterize MER in upstream or downstream signals. The diagnostic tool is designed to allow measurement and analysis of non-standard DOCSIS 3.1 signals.