Keysight Oscilloscopes Reviews

We use this for testing our product and also for doing major maintenance, simulation correlation.

For example, we design a test for what we call our channel test vehicle. We have a simulation result according to our structure, such as a BGA footprint. Then we use the channel test vehicle, and test with Keysight VNA so we can compare the result with our simulation.

For us, the solution is targeting high-speed serial, like I/O ports, things like a 25-gigabit per second signaling array. We use it for a lot of I/O components and connector cable qualification. We utilize the full bandwidth.

It's very convenient because once we set up everything, we just queue our test plan and then are able to do whatever we want: embed with the key size and the PLOTS auto fix removal. And it has a good calibration kit. It's very convenient to use.

The user interface is very good, very graphical. It provides a lot of help in using and operating it.

I wish they would improve the Embed function in the current product because, as the frequencies go up, we see a lot of diversity because of effects in the test feature. So I hope they will provide better technology to solve the test feature diversity which affects our test results. We don't want the test feature effect in our measurements.

Also, every component has a manufacturing tolerance. I hope Keysight software can help with the tolerance loss in manufacturing variance, which can be ten percent or five percent. In the real world, we cannot fire a really perfect test with very smooth impedance. I would like to see Keysight provide a solution to solve the issue of loss of manufacturing variance.

Regarding the solution being field-upgradable, it is, but I think we need something beyond that. We need to expand to 60 or 70 gigahertz or even higher, perhaps up to 100 gigahertz.

They have very good technical support. Their local sales representative usually comes to our office and does demos. If we have any technical issues they will either be onsite or solve our question over the internet.

We went with this solution because with our high speed, and the rates going up, we definitely need more high-speed equipment and that goes with this equipment. This is a very high, cutting-edge area. For our industry, we have a cutting-edge signaling array. We want to have the most advanced equipment and Keysight is a well-known name in the industry.

We did a trial and learned its capabilities, what the frequency goes to, and the calibration procedure to make sure the measurements are good at such high frequency.

In terms of a learning curve for the product, I'm very familiar with this product because I have used it for a long time. I know how to operate it. The only learning for me is every time there is a new software release, like auto fix removal, if there is any new functionality, I need to familiarize myself with that, but that's all. It generally takes just a couple of days to figure it out.

It's very expensive because this type of equipment is not so common. For a company buying it, this is a big investment.

Review case studies from the manufacturers' data sheets and compare their price and their performance. In the high-speed area there are a lot of data that need to be considered, such as your dynamic range for the equipment and the noise level. We need very high accuracy, so it's better to compare before buying from any supplier.

I have been using this product for at least ten years. Already in my third year of my PhD I was using Keysight, although I don't think it was called Keysight at the time. In terms of the model I'm using currently, I don't remember the type and specific model number but I know it's a 50 gigahertz VNA, from 300 kilohertz to 50 gigahertz.

I would rate this product at eight out of ten because the equipment is very expensive, it's very high-end. But it is very accurate equipment. Keysight is a leader in this area.

We are using it for R&D and production testing. We currently have a few models. We have a 26 gig with 32 ports. We also have 40 gig and 67 gig models.

I'm an SI engineer. We use Keysight equipment almost six hours everyday, making a lot of measurements.

Their software and hardware are integrated, so we don't have to spend a lot of time processing the data.

I am not really impressed with the GUI since it has not changed in almost 20 years (since I first began using the product). While the GUI part is okay, I can live with it. I would like more accuracy, particularly for multiport measurements.

Sometimes, it's quite hard to get the technical support to come onsite. If we run into a hardware, measurement, or software issue, we may have to wait a long time for them to come.

We have been with Keysight for many years.

We just upgraded our system from 40 gigahertz to 67 gigahertz. We just recently bought one.

The major factor influencing the decision-makers is the price.

Keysight is one of the very original companies who developed measurement equipment, so we've been stuck with them for long time.

We are doing high-speed copper cable measurement at about 112 gigabit per second requiring bandwidth at about 40 to 50 gigahertz.

The majority of our products are connected devices.

We are currently using it for 56G ANSI, 56G PAM-4, and 112G PAM-4. These are our three main signals. We are utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.

Keysight equipment is very popular.

We are using Keysight Oscilloscopes and software for assimilations. 

Their new features are very useful for our jobs and workflows because they are very accurate.

Its versatility and accuracy are the most valuable features.

The user interface is very simple. Everyone can use it.

They can improve, but I don't know how.

We are utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.

I don't know if its upgradable for our parts. I think we use all of the features that can be used.

We have often needed technical support often. They were always ready to help us. They have been very useful. 

If you need help, there is always someone who will help you.

The pricing is good for what they offer.

Once we knew that we needed this type of software, we decided on Keysight.

I suggest looking over their use case site.

We are using it to connect IoT to our products.

We're measuring high-speed signals, like USB, PCI Plus, HDMI, DDR, memories, power rails, etc.

The application space the solution targets is embedded systems. For example, an embedded PC for industry automation, including wellness in strength machines or bicycles.

With telecommunications. The protocol standard needs to be created, then it uses 4G or some type of 5G for preliminary spec. Afterwards, we can create a pattern, major it, then we can see some of the IDOCs run or have some of the special masks to test it.

While it depends on the field, the learning curve is usually really quick.

The user interface is getting better. A graphical interface would be good, but having been a test engineer previously, it is nice to have some script programming.

The integration between different software and hardware panels could be improved. In the software, it's not as strong as the other solutions.

They should have more training resources accessible.

Usually, we don't ask too much of the technical support. 

There are a lot of secondhand models in the market, so that is how we first accessed it. Then, we bought the newer version after that.

We did do a demo with the company first.

If we rented the product, it would be more affordable than buying new. I would like it to be more affordable.

The application space the solution targets is usually telecommunications, like 4G and 5G.

We are measuring RX and TX signals.

I automate these devices for the other persons to use and take measurements. Our current model is a VNA machine.

It's easier to automate and connect with multiple devices, and at the same time with laptops.

The ACPA comments for automation testing.

While the user interface is good with respect to instrumentation, but with respect to documentation, I do not like it. Its documentation is slightly bad. It was not organized properly. The way it's organized is very difficult to understand, so it takes lot of time to search for one thing in particular.

We are utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.

I have not contacted technical support as of now.

If you want to use it manually and automate it, it's easy. However, for automation, if the documentation was better, it would decrease your time using it. At first, you need to read the documentation, or if you want to search for any particular thing, it takes lot of time. So, you need to invest a lot of money to start this. If someone has some experience with Keysight, then it would be easier.

We are measuring signals mostly related to switching, like networking. The type of signals that we are measuring are signalling integrity.

I don't think it's being used for connection devices. I have seen past developments, and it's mostly used for taking measurements on the board to check how it works.

We are using Keysight for characterization.

The signals that I'm evaluating are basic analog signals for hard disk drives.

It improves the functionality of our products and the products that I design. It does this every day. I use it for characterization every day, and it directly helps.

Its 4 port has true differential with quite a few de-embedding features. It goes up to 40 GHz with high performance.

There was a long learning curve. It's a bit difficult to get used to, so it took about six months to really fully get up to speed with it.

The user interface is not that good. It's not very intuitive. It's functional, but it's not designed for ease of operation. It's designed for functionality. Interface could be improved a bit. It could be a bit easier to use. 

One thing that should be improved is how reliable the product is. I have found it to be very unreliable. It breaks down a lot. That is one feature I'm definitely not happy about.

I am utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.

It will become upgradable if the hardware becomes more reliable, then I would take advantage of it. While I can't think of any other functionality that they can add, as it's pretty good as is, the reliability is the main thing for me.

I have contacts within Keysight. They usually give us evaluation hardware. They're pretty good about it.

We were using a previous solution. It was bulky. It did not have good de-embedding features, so we found out about a newer solution, and there was enough value to switch.

The pricing is on the high side.

We also looked at LeCroy and Anritsu. However, Keysight was overall an excellent package.

We did demo Keysight before choosing it and learned it was functional.

The functionality is excellent, but the reliability is poor.

The application space that the solution is targeting is PC components: hard disk drives.

We are not using this product to support connected devices.

I'm using Keysight VNA, Oscilloscopes, and Spectrum Analyzer. The oscilloscope is mostly used for Keysight because they have a very high resolution and very high memory digs. They also can capture the signal reading at a very high signal read. We regularly go to 100 gigabits so we can capture a lot of signal for Keysight.

They changed a lot of the workflows, especially for the statistical analysis. They provided simplicity in the design, and we can ask for we want in futures designs. The statistical analysis is very good in the Keysight software.

The user interface is very user-friendly. You can use a lot of functions in their scope and will provide them for you. You can update the scope's software by asking Keysight to update the software when you want. 

The jitter management from Keysight is very smart. It can capture the jitter very quickly and provide some statistical analysis, which is awesome.

Signalling integration has room for improvement.

I would like more customized functions, so we can do the programming and definitions ourselves. There is an automation flow to capture this signal, and we would like to do this ourselves. If we could get a lot of the data automatically, then maybe we could get some machine learning stuff.

We are measuring many signals in one system (approximately 100).

With some features, you cannot use them as you want because the product is very specialized.

We have upgraded the scope and Keysight has given us more solutions.

If I need technical support, I can contact the account manager or architectural engineer for information, and they will give me support very quickly.

I have always used Keysight. 

Most people use Keysight. but some people use Tektronix, Teledyne, or Rockworth, because they have other needs. For example, Teledyne provides more high resolution scope, and for Rockworth, their spectrum analysis is very easy to use. Tektronix is very good at end log power management. 

We did a trial of Keysight before purchasing it.

We always are sharing this solution with our peers and colleagues.

The solution is targeting high-speed serial applications. For high-speed signal designs, you need to get the eye diagram beautiful. 

The learning curve of the solution depends on the quality of the material. Some things take a day or two to get acclimated, and others take a year or two.

I am working on some larger devices, so I don't plan on using it for IoT. Though some of our department using it for IoT, I don't have any details.