Single Physical AP Roaming Tests with Time-Varying VAP Power
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional roaming test systems for wireless network deployments are expensive, difficult to implement remotely, and not scalable, requiring multiple physical APs to be set up and relying on physical resources like humans or robots for testing, which limits their applicability to actual deployments and increases costs and time.
Innovation Solution
A roaming test system using a single physical AP emulates a network deployment with a group of virtual APs (VAPs) that simulate wireless client movement by varying transmission power over time, allowing remote testing and configuration of roaming scenarios without physical presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple physical APs are deployed to test roaming scenarios, then testing accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical access points through software-defined networking. Virtual APs are instantiated on a single physical AP platform, allowing multiple virtual access points to be tested without deploying multiple physical devices. This copying approach maintains testing accuracy while dramatically reducing hardware complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical AP platform is designed to perform multiple functions by hosting multiple virtual AP instances simultaneously. A single physical device can emulate various AP types, configurations, and scenarios, making the testing system versatile and adaptable to different roaming test cases without requiring specialized hardware for each scenario.
2Reliability
If physical resources like humans or robots are used for roaming testing, then testing realism is improved, but ease of operation and scalability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical testing methods (humans or robots physically moving between APs) with automated software-controlled virtual testing. The system uses programmable motion simulation to replicate client device movement patterns, eliminating the need for physical presence while maintaining testing realism through automated scenario execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system is designed to be self-executing through automated test scripts that control virtual client devices and monitor roaming behavior. Once configured, the system runs tests autonomously without requiring human operators to physically traverse the test environment, enabling remote operation and improving ease of use.
3Measurement precision
If multiple physical APs and test equipment are set up on-site, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements pre-configured virtual AP templates and test scenarios that can be deployed instantly. Rather than setting up physical infrastructure on-site, the system allows administrators to pre-define roaming scenarios, virtual AP configurations, and test parameters, then rapidly instantiate them in the virtual environment, dramatically reducing setup time while preserving measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples provide new roaming test systems for network deployments that can be implemented remotely using a single physical AP. Examples achieve this elegant system by emulating a physical network deployment using a group of VAPs provisioned on the single physical AP (a VAP may refer to a logical or a virtual AP instance on a physical AP). Each VAP of CAP group may be configured to represent a physical AP of the physical network deployment (such a network deployment may be a prospective deployment or, an actual/set-up deployment). Examples can simulate/emulate a wireless client physically moving between physical APs of the network deployment by varying transmission power associated with each VAP as a function of time in a manner that mirrors how a wireless client would perceive transmission power varying for physical APs of the network deployment (represented by the VAPs) as the wireless client moves across the geographical site of the network deployment.