However, the Internet connection to the smart device is not always guaranteed. Since smart devices have access to both the cellular and Wi-Fi networks, they are the ultimate ubiquitous controller for LXI instruments. Using Smart Devices for Test in the Cloud

The simplest way to use a smart device, such as an iPAD, to control the instrument is to connect via VPN to the company’s WAN. Users can access the instrument via its web interface from any web-enabled device including laptops, smartphones, and tablets from anywhere in the world to control an instrument, monitor and collect data, or change settings on test systems. Controlling an LXI Device with its Web Interface LXI discovery tools can be used to automatically discover the LXI device on the network, or alternatively, by entering the instrument’s IP address in a web browser ( Figure 2).įigure 2. The LXI Standard also specifies that LXI instruments include a W3C-compliant web interface. Figure 1 demonstrates one scenario where users can operate and control test instruments wirelessly from anywhere within the corporate LAN.įigure 1. In doing so, a company’s investment in test equipment can be fully utilized from anywhere in the world at any time, and the measurement data collected can be shared in real-time across the organization. Since it is based on Ethernet, LXI enables new distributed applications. As such, test engineers are assured that combinations of LXI instruments will integrate seamlessly with one another. Certified LXI products have been tested and proven to conform to the LXI specification. The LXI Standard, developed and maintained by the LXI Consortium, is defined as a set of core features and optional extended functions. LXI is the standard for Ethernet control of instrumentation. One major challenge that these global engineering teams face is sharing real-time access to test instruments and the resulting test data across thousands of miles and country borders. These global engineering resources must work closely together and maximize the test instruments at their disposal throughout the design and testing life cycle of a product. With today’s global economy, companies have their resources distributed around the world. Seldom do we associate hardware, or more specifically, test equipment with cloud computing. Then there are platform-as-a-service providers, such as Google App Engine or, that support a computing platform and a solution as a service for enterprises. Many of us are already personally using some form of software in the cloud today such as Google’s Gmail, iCloud, or even Facebook for that matter. Often the first thing that comes to mind when we think of cloud computing is software or software as a service.

Lxi cloud software