Application of Shielding Boxes for Throughput Testing on WIFI Terminal Production LinesI. Core FunctionsEssentially a small, controllable radio frequency (RF) shielding enclosure, the production-line throughput shielding box isolates extensive external RF interference such as 2.4G/5G/6G WIFI and Bluetooth signals in the production environment. It also prevents signals from the Device Under Test (DUT) from leaking out and interfering with adjacent workstations. A stable OTA link is established inside the box to ensure repeatable test results with low misjudgment rates for uplink and downlink throughput, latency and packet loss rate. It serves as critical tooling for the final testing of WIFI terminals including IPCs, intelligent modules, gateways, tablets, AR devices and cameras.

Two mainstream solutions are distinguished:Coupled Shielding Box (Mainstream for Mass Production): A coupling plate or near-field coupling antenna is placed inside the box. The DUT antenna is positioned close to the coupling plate, delivering stable link loss, controllable multipath effects and fast testing speed. It is suitable for mass production screening of WIFI6/WIFI6E/WIFI7 throughput and MIMO performance.Reverberation / Semi-Anechoic OTA Shielding Box (For Validation and High-End Production Lines): The inner walls are lined with wave-absorbing materials or reverberation structures to simulate multipath propagation, closely replicating real-world wireless environments. It is adopted for TR-398-class tests of throughput, roaming and rate stability, featuring higher cost and longer single test duration.

II. Test ObjectsWIFI modules, wireless network adapters, IPC network cameras, robotic vacuum cleaners, smart speakers, AR glasses, tablets, CPEs, home gateways and other terminals with WIFI STA function.Coverage: 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz (WIFI6E/WIFI7). It supports throughput testing for 2×2/4×4 MIMO and 160MHz wide bandwidth.

III. System CompositionShielding Box Main Body: Mostly pneumatic, compatible with automated production lines and robotic loading/unloading. RF isolation is typically ≥70dB at 2.4/5/6G. The enclosure is pre-equipped with RF SMA ports, DC power supply ports, USB ports, RJ45 ports and filter interfaces to suppress crosstalk on power lines.Internal Tooling: Positioning fixture plus coupling plate / test antenna, which guarantees consistent placement of every DUT. Position deviation directly causes RSSI fluctuation and throughput drift.Test Instruments: WIFI comprehensive tester / signaling AP plus traffic generatorHost Computer and Production Test Software: Supports automatic code scanning, door closing, link establishment, uplink and downlink throughput running, result judgment, log storage and NG alarm.

IV. Production Line Test Items (Throughput-Related)Maximum Downlink / Uplink Throughput: With fixed bandwidth (20/40/80/160MHz) and fixed MCS, the ultimate data rate is measured to screen out antenna cold solder joints, poor matching, excessive RF channel loss and abnormal PA/LNA components.Throughput Stability: Long-duration traffic transmission to monitor packet loss, jitter and rate drop, for troubleshooting thermal power reduction, power supply ripple and clock defects.Throughput at Different RSSI Levels: A programmable attenuator is connected in series to simulate far and near fields, for joint screening of throughput and sensitivity under weak signal conditions.MIMO Spatial Stream Throughput: Verify normal stream splitting for 2×2/4×4 spatial streams, and identify antenna branch faults from abnormal single-stream performance.Handover / Roaming Throughput (High-End Models): Multiple internal antennas simulate multiple APs to detect throughput interruption during handover.Concurrent Stress Test: Mixed traffic with varied packet lengths including small and large packets to verify protocol stack performance.

V. Production Line Application ValueEliminate environmental interference and reduce false tests: Numerous APs, mobile phones and Bluetooth devices in factories randomly occupy channels. Without shielding boxes, throughput fluctuates sharply and leads to many false NG or false PASS results. The shielding box creates an independent, enclosed test link.Standardization and High Consistency: Consistent coupling loss and multipath environment for each DUT enable comparable and traceable data, suitable for SPC quality control.Compatible with Automated Production Lines: Pneumatic boxes can connect with PLCs and manipulators and start testing via code scanning, replacing manual door opening to achieve controllable tact time. Multi-station parallel enclosures (1-to-2 / 1-to-4) are supported to improve Units Per Hour (UPH).Intercept hidden defects in advance: Many RF indicators (power, EVM) may pass inspection while the antenna suffers low radiation efficiency or poor grounding. Such issues can only be exposed by OTA throughput testing and cannot be detected by simple RF coupling power measurement.Support simultaneous multi-protocol testing: The same enclosure can be extended for synchronous isolated testing of BT and Zigbee to reduce floor space occupied by production workstations.

ST-SP002 WIFI Test Shielding BoxScope of Application:

1. Provide an efficiently isolated test environment for wireless communication products to avoid interference from public network signals and cross-interference between different test systems, for testing mobile phones, wifi modules, data cards, CPEs and other electronic products;

2. Support production-line stability testing, automated manipulator testing and large-scale consistency testing;

3. Testing for other communication technologies such as GSM, WCDMA, WiMAX, LTE, GNSS, Bluetooth, WIFI and so on.

Main Functions and Applicable Scope:

1. Provide an efficiently isolated test environment for wireless communication products to avoid public network signal interference, for testing mobile phones, Wi-Fi modules and other electronic products;

2. EMC and EMI testing;

3. Coupling testing;

4. RF function-related tests, including transmitter radiated power testing and receiver sensitivity testing.

Product Features:

1. Isolate external base station signals and external interfering signals.

2. Absorb internal RF signals inside the box to reduce interference.

3. Minimize human influence and deliver more accurate test results.

4. Save operation time and boost working efficiency.

5. Isolate interference from adjacent test equipment.

6. Integrate multiple test workflows to simplify procedures and improve efficiency.

7. Operation Mode: Pneumatic

Technical Parameters:

Inner Working Size: (L)400 (W)400(H)280 mm

Outer Dimension: (L)530 (W)605 (H)330mm

Shielding Isolation: >70dB @ 700MHz to 8.5GHz

Shielding Material: Microwave Absorber

Enclosure Material: metal plate

Weight: approx. 23kg

Surface Color: white 

I/O ConnectorsSMA-SMA4,RS2321,DC1,USB1,RJ45*1;（Customizable interfaces available）