Advanced Protocol Analyzers with Physical Layer Insight

Uncover signal-layer behavior and decode complex protocols with our powerful analysis tools tailored for high-speed interfaces.

Overview

Protocol Analyzers with physical layer capabilities serve as essential tools in verifying and debugging high-speed digital communication systems. Designed to capture and decode traffic across interfaces like USB, PCIe, SATA, and Ethernet, these analyzers provide visibility into both protocol behavior and signal-level anomalies. This dual-layer insight is critical in uncovering timing errors, jitter, interoperability issues, and data integrity challenges, especially in dense, high-performance networks.

Physical Layer Tech brings these capabilities to B2B enterprises across North America, helping engineering teams minimize debug cycles, meet compliance targets, and simulate real-world traffic scenarios. As a trusted provider headquartered in Portland, Oregon, we combine technical depth, reliability, and customer-centric service to help companies integrate smarter, more robust systems.

Core Components

Hardware

  • Modular analyzers with dedicated high-speed capture ports
  • Support for PHY-level probing with eye diagram and jitter analysis tools
  • Scalable platforms for bench or rack-mounted deployment
  • Industry-standard interconnects and triggering

Software

  • Interactive GUI with flow trace visualization
  • Packet-level filtering, bookmarking, and annotation
  • Scripting and automation via Python/TCL interfaces
  • Multi-session support for collaborative engineering teams

Cloud Services

  • Remote access to active tests and logs
  • Test history archiving and audit trail generation
  • Continuous firmware updates and feature expansion
  • Secure sharing with distributed development teams

Key Features and Functionalities

  • Real-time decoding of high-speed protocols: PCIe, USB, SATA, Ethernet, and more
  • Physical layer measurements: signal integrity, jitter, voltage margins, timing
  • Traffic generation and fault injection for scenario simulation
  • Time-correlated data views from PHY through protocol stack
  • Compliance and regression testing suites for leading industry standards
  • Multi-platform compatibility (Windows, Linux) with exportable log formats

Integrations

  • Seamless integration with oscilloscopes and logic analyzers
  • Compatible with popular debug tools (Wireshark, SignalTap, MATLAB)
  • Cross-platform driver and SDK support
  • Supports USB-PD, MIPI, Thunderbolt, and vendor-specific protocol extensions

Benefits

  • Reduce time-to-market by streamlining validation workflows
  • Detect root cause of failures across PHY and protocol layers
  • Automate complex testing cycles for consistent results
  • Improve team collaboration through shared analysis environments

Applications

  • Pre-silicon and post-silicon validation
  • High-speed I/O performance benchmarking
  • Signal compliance testing for certification labs
  • Interoperability testing in multi-vendor environments

Industries Served

Semiconductors
Consumer Electronics
Telecommunications
Automotive & Transportation
Aerospace & Defense
Data Center & Cloud Infrastructure

Relevant U.S. & Canadian Industry Standards

USB 3.2 / 4.0

PCIe Gen4 / Gen5

IEEE 802.3 Ethernet

SATA III

MIPI CSI/DSI

CAN and LIN (automotive PHY)

Case Studies

Case Studies1: U.S. Case Study – Automotive Electronics Manufacturer

An automotive electronics supplier used our protocol analyzer to validate high-speed USB and Ethernet PHY in an ADAS module. The analyzer’s integrated physical-layer diagnostics helped reduce time spent in root cause analysis by 40%, allowing the client to meet a Tier 1 OEM’s compliance deadline ahead of schedule.

Case Studies 2: U.S. Case Study – Data Center Equipment Vendor

A hardware vendor specializing in PCIe expansion switches implemented our analyzer to verify Gen5 lanes in modular servers. Our solution provided full protocol compliance and PHY-layer timing validation, which enabled early detection of jitter-induced packet loss before final board spin.

Case Studies 3: Canadian Case Study – Telecom Infrastructure Provider (Toronto, ON)

To troubleshoot packet loss across fiber-based Ethernet backhaul links, a telecom provider adopted our analyzer with PHY capability. The tool’s time-synchronized signal capture and decode allowed engineers to isolate faulty SFP modules, reducing field downtime by 55%.

Contact Us

Ready to elevate your signal analysis and protocol validation?
Visit Physical Layer Tech Contact Page to get in touch with our technical team. Whether you’re looking to schedule a demo, request a quote, or get engineering support, we’re here to help you achieve confident results with every test.