Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I load and run WaveAgent on my MAC OS X?
- How do I install and start WaveDeploy?
- Where do I get a WaveAgent for my iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch?
- Performing a Site Survey When running on a Windows XP PC
- What are the system requirements for WaveDeploy and mobile devices participating in the survey
- How do I conduct an assessment when I cannot get an Ethernet connection?
- Are all WaveDeploy measurements taken at the same time? How long does it take to complete measurements at each location?
- My performance shows up as red. How do I know if that is a client issue or a network issue?
- My RF coverage is fine, but my TCP goodput is bad. What does that mean?
- How do I get the Microsoft .NET framework?
- From where do I get Windows XP Service Pack 3?
- How do I know which version of Windows I am using?
- How come I measured two entirely different RF signal powers using two different laptops at the exact same location?
- How can I use WaveDeploy to make my network work better?
- Why can’t I save anything?
- How come I cannot enable voice or video traffic?
- Where can I get an image for my site?
- How can I test the maximum goodput achievable in my network?
- What do the small gray circles in the middle of my analysis screen mean?
- I was halfway through my site assessment when all of my test data started failing. What happened?
- To which port on my home router should I connect my fixed client: Internet or LAN?
- How do I load the WaveAgent onto the Honeywell Dolphin mobile computer?
- How do I load the WaveAgent onto the Windows Mobile device?
- What should I prepare before stating a site assessment?
- What types of image files are supported in WaveDeploy for the site map?
- How do I use WaveDeploy in a WiFi Hotspot?
How do I load and run WaveAgent on my MAC OS X?
The WaveAgent for MAC OS X is included in the WaveAgent installer. WaveAgent can be downloaded from http://www.veriwave.com/customerService. If you have downloaded WaveDeploy, there is no need to download WaveAgent separately as it is included with WaveDeploy. Once you have the WaveAgent .tgz file, follow this procedure to run WaveAgent:
- put waveagent_3.1.0-WT-3.9.2_2010.06.11.15_darwin_x86.tgz on desktop
- double click to unzip
- open waveagent_3.1.0-WT-3.9.2_2010.06.11.15_darwin_x86 folder
- copy waveagent onto desktop
- copy wagent.conf onto desktop
- open terminal session (under Applications/Utilities)
- execute commands below:
- cd Desktop
- . /waveagent
How do I install and start WaveDeploy?
Download WaveDeploy from http://www.wavedeploy.com/downloads/download_center.aspx. Install the application by double-clicking on the installer file you’ve downloaded. You must have administrator rights when installing WaveDeploy. Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements specified at: http://www.wavedeploy.com/downloads/requirements.aspx. Once installed, find the WaveDeploy icon on your desktop and click it. The application will start and present you with the option to run “WaveDeploy Basic” or “WaveDeploy Pro”. If you have not purchased WaveDeploy, choose the “WaveDeploy Basic” option. You will be directed to a registration page. Following registration, you will receive an email with a password. Enter the password in the login page and start using “WaveDeploy Basic”. If you’ve purchased WaveDeploy, you will receive an Entitlement Certificate with an Activation ID from support@veriwave.com. Enter the Activation ID on the licensing screen and start using “WaveDeploy Pro”.
Where do I get a WaveAgent for my iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch?
Access the App Store through your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, and search for WaveAgent. Install the app – it’s free.
Performing a Site Survey When running on a WindowsXP PC
When performing a site survey, WaveDeploy attempts to perform the following process:
- Perform a site scan wherein the power of each access point at the current measurement location is assessed.
- Connect / associate the WaveDeploy client to the AP with the highest detected power (RSSI) in the target network (SSID)
- Perform the active tests for the client.
On some client devices and operating systems, most notably Windows XP, there is no capability available to WaveDeploy to connect to a specific AP. Therefore, WaveDeploy will not be able to force a connection as described in step 2. As a result the active tests described in step 3 will be run with the WaveDeploy client connected to whichever AP the client would normally connect. This can lead to results that are below expectations, particularly for a “sticky” client (a client that is configured not to roam very often).
WaveDeploy does indicate the AP which was connected to the client when the active tests are run. If performance results are below expectation, one should inspect the AP connection behavior. If the client under test appears to remain connected to a small number of APs throughout the site survey, it is a strong indication that the client is too sticky.
To minimize this issue, the user is advised to change the client driver settings to tune the client stickiness so that the client roams frequently enough to provide acceptable application performance, but not so frequently that applications will fail. Under WindowsXP this setting can typically be found by selecting the Wireless Device from the available Network Connections, right-click and then select "Properties". In the "Wireless Network Connection" dialog, select the "Configure" button next to the Wireless adapter. Now select the "Advanced" tab. For Intel devices there are a set of properties, look for entitled "Roaming Aggressiveness". Read the instructions for setting the value as required. Other Wireless adapters will have similar settings.
How do I conduct an assessment when I cannot get an Ethernet connection?
In order to run the TCP Downstream test, WaveDeploy requires a second computer that will host the “Fixed Agent”. This agent generates the TCP traffic toward the mobile device. The best practice for connecting this computer to the network under test is to connect it via an Ethernet connection at a location closest to the WLAN controller or access point.
In some cases, you may not have a second computer. In other situations, you simply may not have access to the wired network, for example when testing a public networks such as a hot spot.
In these cases, it is still possible to run a subset of the available tests with just a single WLAN-enabled computer. To conduct this test, load your site map and set the scale as you normally would do. Then select the Advanced Button, which has a wrench and hammer as an icon. Uncheck the TCP Downstream checkbox to remove this test from the assessment. Now go back to the agents tab, connect the local agent only. Now select the green Start Survey button. You will be presented with a warning window that will let you know that you will only be running a WiFi scan. Click Ok and begin assessing your site as normal.
When you are done, end your survey by clicking on the red Stop Survey button. Finally, click on the Analysis button to view the results. You will notice that your results include all of the signal strength and interference measurements, but do not include TCP Downstream measurements. This information can be used to assess the AP placement and channel selection for RF coverage, but is not a good indicator of device performance which is affected by a number of other variables including AP capabilities and configuration, presence of legacy clients, client driver configurations, and more. Nevertheless, in an environment where you cannot access the Ethernet interface to establish a connection for a fixed agent, this approach can be useful.
Are all WaveDeploy measurements taken at the same time? How long does it take to complete measurements at each location?
Not all measurements are taken at the same time. It takes about 18 seconds to complete all measurements at each location when using the default settings. Increasing the number of mobile clients participating in the assessment as well as adding optional tests will increase the time spent at every location. Measurements are taken in the following order:
- RF metrics are collected every time. It takes about 11 seconds to collect these.
- Mixed traffic, in which all flows compete for airtime, are collected every time. It takes about 7 seconds to collect all HTTP, voice and video metrics. By controlling the HTTP load, a user can test voice and video in lightly or heavily loaded conditions.
- The minimum time a tester would spend at one location is 18 seconds.
- Optional maximum goodput measurements are conducted per mobile client participating in the assessment and take 7 seconds for each.
- To test end-user Quality of Experience and network behavior in heavily loaded network conditions, use WaveDeploy Expert.
The following example illustrates the timing of measurements. Assume that you run a WaveDeploy site assessment with two mobile clients participating: a windows laptop and an iPhone. The sequence of events will then be:
| Time (seconds) |
Laptop | iPhone | Notes |
| 0 | Scans and gathers RF metrics from NDIS driver:
|
No action | User has control of the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) the measured metrics will be compared against, i.e. what is green and what is red, through the “RF Signal SLAs” button on the “Advanced” section. The metrics are collected every time - user can not disable these. Not every OS and every driver reports these metrics. For example the Phone iOS doesn’t provide these metrics. |
| 11 | Five flows are started:
|
Four flows are started:
|
All flows start simultaneously for all mobile clients participating in test. They all compete for airtime. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size for HTTP traffic through the “Application SLAs” button on the “Advanced” section. Laptop setting are set through the “Laptop” host type and iPhone through the “PDA” host type. User also controls type of VoIP codec used for voice traffic. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 18 | Metrics collected:
|
Metrics collected:
|
The metrics are collected every time - user can not disable them. |
| 18 | Upstream TCP Speed Test | No action | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “Laptop” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 25 | Metric collected: Maximum upstream TCP goodput | No action | |
| 25 | Downstream TCP Speed Test | No action | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “Laptop” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 32 | Metric collected: Maximum downstream TCP goodput | No action | |
| 32 | Upstream UDP Speed Test | No action | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “Laptop” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 39 | Metric collected: Maximum upstream UDP goodput | No action | |
| 39 | Downstream UDP Speed Test | No action | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “Laptop” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 46 | Metric collected: Maximum downstream UDP goodput | No action | |
| 46 | No action | Upstream TCP Speed Test | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “PDA” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 53 | No action | Metric collected: Maximum upstream TCP goodput | |
| 53 | No action | Downstream TCP Speed Test | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “PDA” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 60 | No action | Metric collected: Maximum downstream TCP goodpu | |
| 60 | No action | Upstream UDP Speed Test | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “PDA” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 67 | No action | Metric collected: Maximum upstream UDP goodput | |
| 67 | No action | Downstream UDP Speed Test | Only one flow starts. User controls the offered load as well as the frame size through the “Application SLAs” button, “PDA” host type, on the “Advanced” section. Setting these values also controls the SLAs the measured metrics will be compared against. |
| 74 | No action | Metric collected: Maximum downstream UDP goodput |
My performance shows up as red. How do I know if that is a client issue or a network issue?
The best way to know if you are observing a client issue or a network issue is to use WaveDeploy Expert. WaveDeploy Expert utilizes purpose-built hardware that is capable of full rate 802.11 traffic generation and analysis. By comparing the performance experienced by the WaveDeploy Expert hardware and the client device in question, one can very quickly determine if there is a network or a client issue.
If you are only using WaveDeploy Basic then it is necessary to test the same point with a number of different client devices and determine if the issue is present in each client’s results set or if it is specific to just one or two clients in the set. Ultimately, this means running the WaveDeploy application multiple times with a number of different clients. This task is simply much easier to complete with WaveDeploy Pro or Expert.
My RF coverage is fine, but my TCP goodput is bad. What does that mean?
It surprises many people to learn that although they have good RF coverage from their AP, their application performance is actually quite poor. Until now, no good solution has existed to assess both results sets simultaneously. In essence, RF signal level is only one of many factors affecting application performance. While one must have some level of RF coverage in order to make WLANs work reliably, good RF coverage in no way guarantees a good user application experience.
The reasons why are numerous so we will just touch on a few of the possible causes. Until recently, one of the most overlooked reasons is that the client device itself can be responsible for the poor performance. The truth is that there are only a few WLAN chipsets available for WLAN-enabled clients in the market. The difference in functionality from manufacturer to manufacturer often has more to do with the architectural and software designs than the actual RF signals. A poorly written driver will often do more damage to an application’s performance than the occasional RF-induced frame error.
When considering an ecosystem of traffic, people often forget about other clients visible to their network, including those clients and APs from other, neighboring networks that operate on the same channel as your network. A single 802.11b client can severely affect overall 802.11n performance when used at the same time on the same channel. Looking at RF power does nothing to identify that an issue is even occurring.
Numerous other examples exist with respect to advanced feature sets such as power save, security settings, rate adaptation algorithms, etc. If you’re not looking at the application quality of experience then you will not see the issues that your users will experience!
How do I get the Microsoft .NET framework?
You can download the .NET 3.5 framework from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx. The link to the .NET 3.5 framework can be found by searching on ".NET framework 3.5" in the search bar. The result of the search will list all current and previous releases so be cautious to download only .NET 3.5.
From where do I get Windows XP Service Pack 3?
You can download the Windows XP service pack 3 from the Microsoft Download Center at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx. The link to the service pack can be found by searching on XP Service Pack 3 in the search bar.
How do I know which version of Windows I am using?
Go to the Start Button or Windows icon in the lower left corner of your screen. Opern the Control Panel from the Start menu.
- On Windows XP or Windows Vista in Classic View, double-click on the System icon. If not already selected, click on the General tab. The operating system version and service pack are listed on this dialog box.
- Otherwise, select System and Maintenance and then System. The operating system version and service pack are listed on this dialog box.
How come I measured two entirely different RF signal powers using two different laptops at the exact same location?
Different client devices often experience very different behaviors even when using the same 802.11 chipset. The differences in performance of RF signal strength are a result of antenna and front end signal processing design. These differences also extend beyond signal power, which is easily measured, to signal integrity which is much harder to measure using just a laptop network interface card. Different RF designs can yield substantially different behaviors depending upon their ability to accurately reconstruct the transmitted signals. This behavior underscores one of the reasons why it is necessary to test with the actual devices that will be used on the network.
How can I use WaveDeploy to make my network work better?
WaveDeploy should be used as an ongoing network management solution that will help you to improve the operation of your WLAN network. As such it can be used frequently to help resolve both network and client issues. For example:
- When you are choosing an AP, run WaveDeploy to determine which AP will give you the best performance with the client devices that you will use. By seeing the application performance in space with your actual client, you can determine the best price / value ratio for your particular application
- When you are first installing your APs, use WaveDeploy to determine the best placement and operational channels for the APs. By seeing the RF power, application performance, and interfering networks, you can make much more informed choices about where to install and how to configure each AP.
- When deploying a new client, run WaveDeploy to determine if the client will work well in your network. If the client does not initially work well, consider changing driver settings such as roaming “stickiness”, power save behavior, or legacy interoperability to determine the optimal settings.
- When deploying a new 802.11n network, use WaveDeploy to determine the order in which to upgrade clients and networking devices. Expected 802.11 performance levels cannot be achieved until the network utilizes both 802.11n clients and network components. However, simply using 802.11n devices does not guarantee the targeted levels. The presence of legacy devices, including interferers, aggregation configuration, channel bandwidth settings, etc. also have a substantial impact on performance. By testing each combination ahead of time, one can determine the optimal order to upgrade devices to create incremental value with each expenditure and to ultimately achieve the highest performance levels.
- WaveDeploy Expert can help user to answer questions such as how many users can work in a conference room while still maintain a target SLA level for their network services (data, voice, and/or video). By creating up to 64 individual clients out of a single hardware devices, users can stress the infrastructure and client devices to ensure that they perform well and fairly when they need to compete for precious networking resources.
WaveDeploy Basic does not allow you to save or load results or to generate reports. Consider purchasing WaveDeploy Expert or Pro if this functionality is important for your usage. Note that once WaveDeploy Pro or Expert is purchased all watermarking is also removed from images within the application too.
How come I cannot enable voice or video traffic?
WaveDeploy Basic does not allow you to access the full functionality of the product. Consult with the data sheet at http://www.wavedeploy.com/pdf/2010/product_brochure.pdf to see familiarize yourself with the additional functionality. Consider purchasing WaveDeploy Expert or Pro if this functionality is important for your usage. Note that once WaveDeploy Pro or Expert is purchased all watermarking is also removed from images within the application too.
Where can I get an image for my site?
WaveDeploy will allow you to use almost any standard image as for the site map. New users often ask where they can get such an image. The answer can range from scanning an existing paper site layout into an image file, converting cad files into standard image file formats, or even drawing your own site map using tools as simple as Paint. No matter your method, it is highly recommended to use a site map as this approach substantially improves your ability to locate yourself during data collection and to communicate the results to other people.
If, however, you just want to get going with the assessment then you can use a grid. Simply do not load a site map and you can conduct your assessment using a grid.
How can I test the maximum goodput achievable in my network?
A maximum goodput measurement can be made by increasing the target TCP Downstream SLA to a value beyond the capabilities of the network. For example, an 802.11g or 802.11a network will support traffic rates of up to about 30 Mbps once one subtracts the overhead. Configure the target SLA to be 60 Mbps and conduct the survey. TCP traffic self-adjusts to run at the maximum rate possible. In this case, you will measure the maximum rate supported by your client and AP at each test location.
Note that the measurement is ultimately a result of your AP, client, and the network conditions. If your performance is low, try adjusting each of these variables to determine which component is causing the majority of the issues. This task is made much easier when using a WaveDeploy WiFi, which can act as a golden client that can be used to assess the best performance available from the AP and network conditions at that same location.
What do the small gray circles in the middle of my analysis screen mean?
The small gray circles indicate that a measurement was not made at that location. This condition is treated as a failure since service was not available to conduct the measurement at the location. This condition generally occurs when the RF power level is so low that communications can no longer be maintained. Thus, one can use this feedback to determine where the “edge” of the wireless network exists.
It is also possible to be able to make an RF power measurement at some locations, but to have such poor signal quality that traffic cannot be maintained. In this case, the RF signal will indicate a measurement, but the application data will show that no measurement was possible.
I was halfway through my site assessment when all of my test data started failing. What happened?
This condition can often occurs when your client is unable to detect the target network, i.e. the network you want to test, but can detect another network that you have previously configured in your WLAN driver profile for automatic connection. This often happens when you use two different SSIDs in a single location such as a large house or small office environment.
To correct this condition, it is easiest to disable automatic connection to networks in your profiles during testing. The mechanism for affecting this change is driver specific, but almost all drivers we have seen support some mechanism for achieving this end. Once the change is made, simply walk back toward the target network and reconnect to the target network. You can continue testing normally.
To which port on my home router should I connect my fixed client: Internet or LAN?
It depends on what you are trying to test. You should be able to connect to either, but it is generally advisable to connect to the LAN ports. This approach is recommended because LAN ports generally do not make use of Network Address Translation (NAT) nor are they protected by a firewall from the WLAN clients. Furthermore, connecting on the LAN ports is usually less disruptive to other people trying to use the network to access the Internet.
WaveDeploy has, however, been designed with both NAT and firewall issues in mind so it usually will work fine on the Internet port of a SOHO router. We cannot make an across the board guarantee that this configuration will work simply because both NAT and firewall behavior are not fully standardized in their behavior and so it is only possible to guarantee operation through interoperability testing. There are simply too many WLAN solutions in the market for us to make this guarantee.
How to load WaveAgent on the Honeywell Dolphin mobile computer or a Windows Mobile device?
To load WaveAgent on a Honeywell Dolphin mobile computer , follow these steps:
- Extract the WaveAgent.CAB file from the WaveAgent installer.
Go to: C:\Program Files\VeriWave\WaveDeploy\agents
Unzip the waveagent…zip file
Go inside the waveagent folder and then inside the arm-wm5 folder is the .CAB file - Download the WaveAgent.CAB file on to the Dolphin device using Microsoft Active Sync.
- On the Dolphin double click on the WaveAgent.CAB file, and follow the instructions to install the WaveAgent.
- To verify that the WaveAgent was installed, goto File Explorer->My Device->Windows->Startup. The WaveAgent executable must be listed there.
- Power cycle the Dolphin device. This is very important.
- On power up, the WaveAgent should be running.
What should I prepare before stating a site assessment?
- Obtain a site map in PNG, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, XBM, XPM, PPM, PBM, or BMP format.
- Download and install WaveDeploy onto the target machine you will be using to conduct the assessment. See the system requirements (http://www.wavedeploy.com/downloads/requirements.aspx) for more information.
- Activate the WaveDeploy license prior to going onsite and verify that it works as expected.
- Load WaveAgent on all other client devices you bring with you that may be involved in the assessment (laptops, iPhones, etc.).
- Verify the security settings (authentication mechanism, encryption method, and passwords etc.) the laptops, iPhones, etc. will need.
- Make sure the machines you use for the assessment (laptops, iPhones, etc.) are allowed on the network.
- Make sure at least one Ethernet port is available onsite to connect the WaveDeploy stationary server
- Before stating the assessment verify that the machine that will be used as the stationary server can ping one of the machines used as a mobile client hosting WaveAgent.
- Make sure port 18100 is not blocked by a firewall as it is used for control of WaveDeploy.
What types of image files are supported in WaveDeploy for the site map?
PNG, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, XBM, XPM, PPM, PBM, BMP.
How do I use WaveDeploy in a WiFi Hotspot?