Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) Telecom and Datacom Instruments
13 models with full specifications in Telecom, Datacom.
Keysight Technologies, alongside its legacy brands Agilent and Hewlett-Packard, has produced a wide-ranging portfolio of telecommunications and data communications test equipment. This catalog spans multiple technology generations, serving engineers involved in network deployment, transceiver validation, physical layer design, and legacy analog systems. This guide organizes the core hardware segments to assist technical buyers in identifying the appropriate instrument. The portfolio includes high-speed serial Bit Error Ratio Testers (BERT) for digital interface characterization, portable transmission analyzers for fiber and copper field lines, and physical layer analysis tools like Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) modules. Understanding these distinctions ensures proper instrument matching for specific line rates, standards compliance, and protocol environments.
- Analog TIMS Range
- 20 Hz to 110 kHz
- Maximum J-BERT Rate
- 14.2 Gb/s
- Differential Sampling Bandwidth
- 18 GHz
- ParBERT Data Rate
- 333 kb/s to 675 Mb/s
All models
| Model | Type | Interfaces | Display | Operating Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N4903B | BERT, Error Analyzers | GPIB (IEEE 488.2), LAN (10/100/1000Base-T), USB 2.0 | Integrated color touchscreen LCD | 5 to 40 |
| 4934A | TIMS | WECO 310 jacks, Dial/Talk Binding Posts | Dual 4-digit LED displays | 0 to 50 |
| 54754A | TDR, Cable Testers | Internal mainframe plug-in interface | None (utilizes host mainframe display) | 10 °C to 40 °C |
| 8110A | Pulse Pattern Generators | GPIB (IEEE-488.2) | Graphical LCD display with backlighting | — |
| 86130A | BERT, Error Analyzers | — | — | — |
| 4952A | Protocol Analyzers | — | — | — |
| E4480A (156MTS) | SONET/SDH/PDH/ATM Test Sets | — | — | — |
| E4832A/E4835A/E4838A | BERT, Error Analyzers | SMA (front panel I/O), VXIbus (backplane) | — | 10 °C to 40 °C |
| 3764A | Digital Transmission Analyzers | HP-IB (GPIB) | Dual red LED numeric displays (5-digit for Results, 4-digit for Time) and discrete LED status indicators | 0 to +55 °C |
| 37724A | SONET/SDH/PDH/ATM Test Sets | — | — | — |
| 37732A | *misc | V.24 (RS-232), V.35, V.11/X.21-leased, BNC, 3-pin Siemens, HP-IB (GPIB), RS-232-C remote control port | Backlit monochrome graphics LCD screen | 0 to 50 °C |
| N4960A | BERT, Error Analyzers | USB 2.0, LAN | None (controlled via external PC with N4960A software) | 10 to 40 °C |
| N4901B | BERT, Error Analyzers | GPIB, LAN, USB, VGA | 8.4-inch color LCD touch screen | 5 °C to 40 °C |
High-Speed Serial BERT and Pattern Generation
For characterizing high-speed transceivers and digital interfaces, Keysight offers both integrated serial BER testers and modular parallel systems. The Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) N4903B J-BERT is an integrated platform operating up to 7.0 Gb/s, 12.5 Gb/s, or 14.2 Gb/s depending on installed options. It features automated voltage and phase alignment, a built-in clock data recovery loop, and multiple jitter injection capabilities (such as sinusoidal jitter up to 1 GHz, random jitter, and bounded uncorrelated jitter) to test receiver tolerance. For lower-rate serial testing up to 3.6 Gb/s, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 86130A BitAlyzer provides dedicated error performance analysis.
For multi-channel or parallel device characterization, modular architectures are more suitable. The Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) E4832A/E4835A/E4838A VXI-based system allows engineers to combine generator and analyzer front-ends (such as the E4838A Generator and E4835A Analyzer plug-in cards) within a ParBERT 81250 mainframe, reaching parallel data rates from 333 kb/s to 675 Mb/s. When pattern generation is needed without error analysis, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 8110A pulse pattern generator provides precise edge control and digital output from 1.00 Hz to 150 MHz.
PDH, SDH, and SONET Network Analysis
Legacy telecommunication architectures require dedicated analyzers supporting specific framing standards and line rates. The Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 37732A is a field-portable telecom and datacom analyzer composed of a 37722A telecom analyzer and a 15901A Option 001 datacom module, supporting CEPT and ITU-T standards with transmitter line rates of 2.048 Mb/s and 64 kb/s.
For higher-rate networks, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 3764A is a single-unit digital transmission analyzer designed for 140 Mb/s (139.264 MHz) Coded Mark Inversion (CMI) and binary ECL signals. In fiber deployments, the portable Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 37724A SDH/PDH Transmission Analyzer extends testing up to STM-4 (622 Mb/s). Similarly, for SONET networks, the portable Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) E4480A (156MTS) provides base STS-1 transmission testing, with drop/insert of DS3 payloads, and option-dependent support for OC-1, OC-3, and OC-12 rates.
Analog Circuits, Protocols, and Physical Impedance Testing
For voice-band and analog transmission lines, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 4934A Transmission Impairment Measurement Set (TIMS) operates across a 20 Hz to 110 kHz bandwidth. It measures signal levels, counts impulse noise across three independent counters, and evaluates Peak-to-Average Ratio (P/AR) in compliance with IEEE 743-1984 standards. For low-rate legacy datacom network protocol testing, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 4952A protocol analyzer supports decoding and simulation up to 64 kbps (synchronous) or 19.2 kbps (asynchronous).
When characterizing high-frequency backplanes or cables, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 54754A plug-in module provides differential Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and Time Domain Transmission (TDT) measurements. This two-channel, 18-GHz bandwidth sampling module plugs into compatible mainframe oscilloscopes to measure impedance in ohms with a calculated rise time down to 19.4 ps.
Popular models
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary difference between the Keysight 37732A and the 37724A?
- The Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 37732A is tailored for lower-rate telecom and datacom testing up to 2.048 Mb/s, supporting CEPT and ITU-T standards. In contrast, the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 37724A is a higher-rate SDH/PDH transmission analyzer designed to support testing up to STM-4 (622 Mb/s).
- Does the Keysight 4934A TIMS support both North American and European standard impedances?
- Yes, depending on the version. The base Bell Version of the Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) 4934A supports 135, 600, and 900 ohm configurations compliant with North American standards. The CCITT Version (Option 010) configured version provides 150, 600, and 900 ohm impedance setups.