As more municipalities deploy wireless networks to deliver high-performance broadband access to first responders, residents and businesses within a wide area, market research firm ABI Research is predicting that mesh network revenues will grow from insignificant in 2005 to $1.2 billion in 2010.  To enable these large scale deployments, complete testing of WiFi mesh technology in a controlled, repeatable manner will be needed to identify problems prior to installation in the field.

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To address these issues, Acton, Mass. based WiFi engineering test equipment supplier Azimuth Systems Inc., has developed WiFi mesh test software suite that the company claims to be the first commercial solution to automate the performance testing of wireless mesh networks in a controlled laboratory environment.  The WiFi mesh test software runs on its W-Series test platform.

Rather than sending and receiving data from a central point, wireless mesh networks use a series of nodes to pass data and share bandwidth.  Unlike traditional WiFi testing applications that evaluate clients connected to a single access point, testing WiFi mesh networks requires an entire matrix of nodes, which introduces layers of complexity and significant performance challenges to the testing process.  The new mesh solution leverages Azimuth’s experience and knowledge in enterprise-grade WiFi systems .

The new Azimuth software is a suite of scripts that measure six key areas of mesh network performance: node client-capacity; multi-hop throughput performance; fail-over and smooth roaming performance; call capacity and voice transmission quality; security performance; and multi-BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) isolation and security.  The software runs on the W-Series platform and leverages several aspects of the company’s unique testing approach, including patented SmartMotion technology to emulate motion in a controlled environment, Real2Real architecture to enable interoperability testing and RadioProof enclosures for testing repeatability.  Azimuth currently offers more than 20 automated test scripts that validate performance for mission-critical applications such as voice emulation and call capacity and ensure compatibility with emerging standards such as 802.11T roaming. 

“Mesh networking is an exciting WiFi market opportunity that presents new levels of complexity and scalability that exceed the limits of traditional test methods,” said Jeff Abramowitz, vice president of marketing at Azimuth Systems.  “By extending the expertise gained from years of testing enterprise networks, Azimuth is uniquely positioned to address the mesh market.  The Azimuth WiFi mesh test software suite allows automated configuration of the network to multiple different topologies and scenarios, simplifying the testing process and drastically reducing test time.”

The Azimuth mesh testing solution will stress the performance limits of mesh systems while affording vendors considerable cost and time savings, noted the developer.  Prior to the introduction of Azimuth’s automated mesh test script, testing had to be completed in live sites.  This required not just weeks of setup time, but also weeks of manual measurement of coverage and performance at various points around the area. In addition to being cost and labor intensive, this method lacked the scalability to test all possible load, motion, background interference and device configuration scenarios – leaving some bugs and network vulnerabilities unchecked, stated Abramowitz.

Azimuth is an active participant in IEEE 802.11T and its products are the furthest along in meeting the specifications outlined in the latest draft, according to the manufacturer.
As per the company, the annual fee for using the WiFi mesh test software suite is $11,000.

www.azimuthsystems.com