Automated Wireless Testing Video Tutorials

This webinar is an introduction to Line-of-Site (LOS) / Non-Line-of-Site (NLOS) channel emulation, where we explain how real-life conditions are emulated by the IEEE 802.11 standard channel models. You'll see how real-life conditions are emulated by the IEEE 802.11 standard channel models and be able to watch a live demo of a Wi-Fi 6 rate vs. range (RvR) test running in the LOS and NLOS conditions. You'll also hear about the standard channel models and the frequency response of typical LOS and NLOS channels in the home environment. We will do a deep dive into some real-world propagation aspects.

In this seminar, we discuss getting meaningful and repeatable throughput results using a turntable. We look at the common sources of error in throughput measurements and ways to use a turntable to achieve repeatable results, as well as measurements vs. device orientation. There are live demos of a Wi-Fi 6 link running RvR (rate vs. range), RvRwR (rate vs. range with rotation), RvRvO (rate vs. range vs. orientation), and RvOvR (rate vs. orientation vs. range) and how these relate to real-life scenarios.

In this seminar, we explain how OFDM and OFDMA work and examine specific challenges presented by OFDMA. Since the advantages of OFDMA are apparent only with many stations in the link, this demo uses Spirent's palBox with 16 traffic endpoints and 12 synchroSniffer probes. We also show a demo of Wi-Fi 6 throughput and OFDMA performance.

Seminar 4 in our tutorial series on Wi-Fi 6 we look at using a multi-probe sniffer for OFDMA, roaming, and other system tests. In this seminar, you will learn why multiple synchronized sniffer probes are required for OFDMA, roaming, band steering, mesh, and system-level testing. There is also a live demo of roaming and OFDMA tests and how a multi-probe synchroSniffer works in the Spirent Octobox testbed. This session focuses on a critical piece of the testing process, packet sniffing, and we will discuss it in the context of the synchroSniffer.

When measuring the performance of wireless devices and mesh networks, an RF testbed must have the environment to demonstrate performance versus the operating range. In this seminar, we review the RF environment fundamentals and demonstrate how to estimate RF link budget for any test scenario. There is also a live demo of mesh topology path losses as we dynamically reconfigured the mesh with an analysis of the roaming of a station around the mesh.

In this seminar, Spirent experts provide an overview of the Broadband Forum TR-398 standard for testing Wi-Fi performance. We will review the test cases, the pass/fail limits, the Spirent Octobox testbed that runs the automated TR-398 scripts, and a demo of the scripts. Understanding the difference between an interoperability and a performance test is important.

In this seminar, we take a deep dive into the fundamentals of antenna physics and the methodology of achieving optimum MIMO and MU-MIMO performance in a wireless testbed. There are live demos of the impacts of antenna placement, polarization, and spatial diversity. Antennas are a key component in a testbed when focused on over-the-air testing. It is important to understand this key element.

In this seminar, we explore the similarities and differences between testing in a testbed versus testing in a test house. The seminar reviews industry recommendations on the topic. It looks at the current state-of-the-art practices, comparing the two from several angles and looking at the optimal roles for each methodology. We will cover various testing methodologies that people use in the Wi-Fi industry. When a product is prepared to be launched, typically it is taken through several different types of tests to make sure that it meets the demands of the market. Often this testing starts in a testbed like Spirent's Octobox, and then possibly taken into an open-air environment, perhaps a test house. And then finally, the testing often involves real end users, beta tests, performing tests during their everyday activities.

In session 9 of our series of Wi-Fi 6 tutorials from our Wi-Fi experts, we discussed IETF RFC 2544 and IEEE 802.11.2 for Wi-Fi testing. This seminar reviews the IETF RFC 2544, which is sometimes recommended for testing Wi-Fi routers. It examines the history and original goals of this RFC and illustrates how the incarnation of this RFC for Wi-Fi has also been incorporated into the IEEE 802.11.2 specification for Wi-Fi performance testing.

This seminar focuses on mesh Wi-Fi. We look at the origins of the technology and its evolution to date. The mechanics of how mesh works and the types of technology variants currently deployed are shared, along with a demonstration of roaming, steering, and other typical use cases in a mesh. The seminar also looks at how mesh enhances the user experience by extending range, as well as improving performance within the range. It includes how to test these enhancements in a controlled testbed such as Spirent's Octobox. __Mesh Evolution__

In this session of our Wi-Fi tutorials, we continue our analysis of mesh Wi-Fi, looking at various mesh topologies and the impact of an increasing number of wireless hops on the throughput, as well as the latency of a connection. During the seminar, we also drill into the steering algorithms implemented in mesh products and some of the current challenges that we see in the market. We dive a little deeper into Wi-Fi mesh as it is a hot topic in the industry. There are many products being sold both in the retail channel as well as through ISPs. There are some very significant investments that a few of the ISPs are making into this space to create products that better suit their needs. Technically, it is also a very interesting topic for engineers and us in the testing industry. Namely, the first time we have multiple Wi-Fi nodes in the home interacting with each other to deliver the service. And this introduces all sorts of new challenges. The main thing is mobility.

In this webinar, we discuss Target Wake Time (TWT) and how it enables devices to determine when and how frequently they wake up to send or receive data, allowing devices to increase sleep time to reduce power consumption. TWT can also be used to reduce overlap and contention between stations, resulting in optimized spectral efficiency. This video demonstrates how the Octobox testbed can be used to test various TWT parameters and shows the impact on traffic scheduling and throughput. TWT, among other things, is a power-saving mechanism for Wi-Fi.

In this webinar, we look into the theory and practice of band steering and airtime fairness as techniques to deliver high aggregate throughput in consumer routers. The video shows that while the theoretical gains are possible - as claimed by the router vendors - in practice, there is evidence of room for improvement. Throughput is a very commonly used metric when testing Wi-Fi and probably the most commonly used metric when talking about the system's performance. In previous tutorials, we've discussed throughput, where we connected stations and access points with minimum attenuation to see what maximum throughput could be achieved.

In this tutorial, we focus on traffic generation in Wi-Fi measurements. We review common use cases that traffic generators need to cover, as well as what capabilities to look for. We also show demos using Spirent's new software, Octobox software 2.0.

In this 5G tutorial, organized by CN Rood, we discuss essential new test methods for 5G and mmWave.