Ixia IoT — Comprehensive Wi-Fi IoT Device Testing

Deploy mission-critical IoT devices with confidence

Problem: Technology Complexity Results in Inadequate IoT Device Testing 

Wi-Fi is everywhere! It’s now running mission-critical applications at our homes, offices, hospitals, and many other places. Mission-critical applications require highperforming Wi-Fi Internet of things (IoT) devices to maximize uptime and improve user experience. However, the overall technology complexity combined with the lack of test tools and best practices means companies resort to simple testing and basic quality assurance (QA) practices. Inadequate test strategies leave companies exposed to a lot of risk of mission-critical applications failing in the field.

Solution: Comprehensive IOT Testing, Simplified 

To meet user expectations for anywhere, anytime access to mission-critical applications, Wi-Fi IoT device vendors need a well-defined test strategy. A strong foundation for Wi-Fi testing, Ixia IoT enables users to easily validate an IoT device under realistic deployment conditions like interference, roaming, and distance, while also verifying interoperability, stability, and functionality. Whether you are looking for advanced Wi-Fi test capabilities or a simple turnkey application to benchmark and verify interoperability of IoT devices, Ixia IoT is designed to meet your needs.

Key features

• Fully configurable “Reference AP” with support for 4x4 MIMO and full line-rate throughput 

• Turnkey OneTest application to fully benchmark IoT devices with minimal user intervention  

• Interoperability validation with real access points (APs), applications, and traffic

• Built-in tests to characterize performance over distance, roam, ecosystem, and interference

• Real-time L1-7 statistics and KPIs to evaluate performance

Golden AP test—first stage

For Design and Development Teams, this stage uses Golden APs that simulate the entire network (the APs and the distribution network) and test conditions. Ixia’s custom-designed hardware drives much of this simulation, making it a highly reliable, scalable, and precise test-bed. This approach gives a high degree of repeatability and predictability to the tester and it’s ideal for baselining and benchmarking performance of IoT devices under various conditions.

Interop test—second stage

For Pre-Deployment/Integration/Support Teams, this stage focuses on validating interoperability performance. Real APs from deployment, applications, and traffic are used to give an end-to-end perspective while validating interoperability performance of IoT devices and APs. Although this type of testing, which includes real APs and IoT devices, is the most common form of testing done today,  Ixia IoT’s value proposition is in:

• Simplifying the test experience with integrated product and easy-to-use user interface (UI)

• Providing real-time statistics for KPIs and analysis, derived by monitoring the link without dropping any frames

Interoperability testing is equally important for both Wi-Fi IoT devices and APs.

OneTest—A turnkey application to benchmark IoT devices

For Teams Getting Started with Wi-Fi Testing, the complexity involved with Wi-Fi technology and test methodologies can be a significant barrier. OneTest is designed to address this challenge by simplifying IoT device testing.

With pre-canned tests and custom deployment profiles, test planning and configuration is quick and seamless. And with built-in automated and proactive analysis, test evaluation also also simplified. With the click of a button, users get a detailed report that spotlights a device’s Wi-Fi performance issues. Key highlights of OneTest include: 

• Custom test profiles, based on IoT device under test simplifies test planning

• Automated test execution simplifies operation

• Proactive anlaysis with recommendations simplifies interpretation and engagement with module vendors