We typically run six to 10 different tests simultaneously, and though we've developed and deployed a number of automated procedures to configure our test equipment--OS installation via Ghost and Microsoft Corp.'s Remote Installation Server, for instance--we're always on the lookout for procedures to streamline these tasks even further.
To test mobile and wireless technologies, we head to our Wi-Fi lab, where we first conduct systematic performance tests using industry-standard tools like NetIQ Corp.'s Chariot. Our greatest challenge here is to ensure that RF interference
doesn't contaminate our test results. To that end, we scan each RF channel using AirMagnet to verify that it's carrying no other wireless LAN traffic. If we detect significant non-WLAN noise, we use an Avcom-Ramsey spectrum analyzer to identify the source. Our systematic approach to locating access points and clients in specific lab locations, coupled with the use of identical client and server devices for all tests, helps ensure comparable results from product to product.
We pay close attention to other details that can impact radio transmission, too. We make sure metal doors are open or closed consistently across all product tests, for example, and we try to keep the same number of people in the room for each test. Such seemingly minor items can make a major difference in the reproducibility of test results. We also use WildPackets' AiroPeek and other wireless protocol analyzers extensively to make sense of anomalous findings.
Our WLAN range testing takes place in the CST building, which was constructed in 1983 and is representative of a typical office building, with concrete reinforced floors and Sheetrock-over-metal-stud walls. By opening or closing the metal doors that separate major corridors, we can systematically alter the RF environment and assess its propagation and multipath characteristics.
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