WLAN Performance Test Guide

Test Server

Before testing wireless performance, select a test server with similar performance to that of APs. If allowed, send traffic in wired mode to test server performance. For APs with performance close to 1 Gbit/s, such as the AP7030DE, use a PC with good performance (supporting a speed of about 975 Mbit/s) as a test server. For Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 APs with better performance, select servers with better performance.

Install IxChariot (6.7 or later) and Endpoint (7.0 or later) on the server, and update the network adapter driver on the server. The latest network adapter driver is recommended.

Test Terminal

Similar to a test server, a wireless test terminal with good performance is recommended. Endpoint (7.0 or later) must be installed on the test terminal. It is recommended that no other software be installed on the terminal.

Configuration Requirements for the Test Server and Test Terminal

Ensure that no unnecessary process is running on the test server or test terminal. During the pre-test, check the CPU usage and memory usage of the server and terminal in real time. If the usage exceeds 85%, the performance of the server or terminal is insufficient. In this case, select a server or terminal with better hardware performance.

Ensure that the test terminal has sufficient power and does not work in power-saving mode.

Radio Type

The radio type indicates the radio mode of an AP. The 802.11ax radio provides higher-order modulation and coding scheme (MCS), significantly improving service data transmission efficiency.

By default, an AP runs with its latest radio type. To query the specific radio type of APs, run the display radio all command on the AC. Type in the command output indicates the radio type.

<AC> display radio all
CH/BW:Channel/Bandwidth
CE:Current EIRP (dBm)
ME:Max EIRP (dBm)
CU:Channel utilization
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP ID Name            RfID  Band  Type    Status  CH/BW    CE/ME   STA     CU
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1     60de-4474-9640  1     5G    an      on      56/80M   25/25   0       3%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total:1

Operating Frequency Bandwidth

The operating frequency bandwidth is the bandwidth of the frequency band on which an AP works. A larger value indicates a stronger air interface capability and a higher rate. The value can be 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, or 160 MHz. The default value is 20 MHz.

To query the operating frequency bandwidth of an AP, run the display radio all command on the AC. BW in the command output indicates the operating frequency bandwidth.

<AC> display radio all
CH/BW:Channel/Bandwidth
CE:Current EIRP (dBm)
ME:Max EIRP (dBm)
CU:Channel utilization
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP ID Name            RfID  Band  Type    Status  CH/BW    CE/ME   STA     CU
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1     60de-4474-9640  1     5G    an      on      56/80M   25/25   0       3%
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total:1

Number of Spatial Streams

By default, the maximum of spatial streams are configured for an AP.

Interference Check

It is recommended that the test environment interference be checked before a test. Signals on the same or neighboring channel as the channel under test are considered as interference signals.

Try to perform the test in a place without any signals. If no such an environment is available, ensure that no signals exist on the channel under test and the RSSI on channels other than neighboring channels is lower than –95 dBm.

Check interference as follows:

• For Wi-Fi interference signals: Install the inSSIDer software on a laptop that supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands or install the CloudCampus APP on a dual-band mobile phone to check for Wi-Fi interference signals.
• For non-Wi-Fi interference signals: Use a WiFi Spy network adapter or a handheld spectrum analyzer to check for non-Wi-Fi interference signals.

PHY Rate Check

After a STA goes online, run the display station all command on the AC to check PHY rates. In the command output, Rx/Tx indicates the uplink/downlink PHY rates on the air interface. Note that the Rx/Tx values obtained when traffic is transmitted can reflect the actual performance.

<AC> display station all
Rf/WLAN: Radio ID/WLAN ID
Rx/Tx: link receive rate/link transmit rate(Mbps)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STA MAC          AP ID Ap name         Rf/WLAN  Band  Type  Rx/Tx      RSSI  VLAN  IP address  SSID
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14cf-9208-9abf   0     1047-8007-6f80  0/2      2.4G  11n   215/208    -26   10    10.10.10.253 tap1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 1 2.4G: 1 5G: 0

To obtain the extremum single-user performance of the air interface, ensure that actual PHY rates are the same as the theoretical PHY rates in What Are PHY Rates on the Air Interface?.

If the theoretical rate cannot be reached, check environmental interference and adjust the relative antenna positions of the AP and STA.

MCS Statistics Check

MCS statistics include the packet transmit and receive rates of an AP. You can run the display wifi radio-statistics-sdk radio radio-id command in the diagnostic view to query the MSC value of each packet in the receive/transmit direction.

To ensure data accuracy, run the reset wifi radio-statistics sdk radio radio-id command in the diagnostic view to clear historical statistics before checking MCS statistics. Run the display wifi radio-statistics-sdk radio radio-id command to query MCS statistics after traffic is transmitted for a period of time.

<Huawei> system-view
[Huawei] diagnose
[Huawei-diagnose] display wifi radio-statistics-sdk radio 1
...
 Rx MCS STATS:
 mcs 0- mcs 4 STATS:     0,     0,     0,     0,     0,
 mcs 5- mcs 9 STATS:     0,     0,    37,     0, 17595,
 Tx MCS STATS:
 mcs 0- mcs 4 STATS:     0,     0,     0,     0,     0,
 mcs 5- mcs 9 STATS:    16,    10,    16,   381, 48989,

The optimal situation is that 95% of MCSs are the highest-order MCSs. To adjust the environment, check environmental interference and adjust the relative antenna positions of the AP and STA.

Signal Strength Check

A high RSSI value is a guarantee for the highest air interface rate. The recommended RSSI ranges from –45 dBm to –30 dBm.

• The downlink RSSI refers to the RSSI of signals received by the STA and can be obtained using inSSIDer or Wifi Analyzer on the STA.
• The uplink RSSI refers to the RSSI of signals received by the AP from the STA and can be obtained by running the display station all command on the AC.

  <AC> display station all
  Rf/WLAN: Radio ID/WLAN ID
  Rx/Tx: link receive rate/link transmit rate(Mbps)
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  STA MAC          AP ID Ap name         Rf/WLAN  Band  Type  Rx/Tx      RSSI  VLAN  IP address  SSID
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  14cf-9208-9abf   0     1047-8007-6f80  0/2      2.4G  11n   215/208    -26   10    10.10.10.253 tap1
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total: 1 2.4G: 1 5G: 0

If the RSSI does not meet the preceding requirement, shorten the distance between the AP and STA (3 m or less can achieve a high RSSI in indoor scenarios) and increase the AP transmit power (APs use the maximum transmit power by default).

Channel Utilization Check

Channel utilization can be checked to detect interference on the channel to be tested. Run the following command on the AC to check channel utilization:

<AC> display ap traffic statistics wireless ap-id 1 radio 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
...
Wireless channel utilization(%)                       :0
...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

When the DUT is not working, channel utilization should be 0. If a non-zero value is displayed, interference exists on the current channel.

Additionally, a professional Fluke USB network adapter can be used to check channel utilization.

Test Preparation

Test environment

• Configure an AP to work in cloud mode, enable the cloud management controller to manage the AP, and ensure that the AP uses the recommended version and patch.
• Configure a basic SSID to ensure that terminals can access the Internet through the SSID.
• Configure connectivity of the wired network to ensure that the target bandwidth is available between the access switch and the Internet. The wireless test speed is about 70% of the wired test speed.
• In a performance test, interference on the air interface should be as little as possible. Use an air interface scanning tool to select a channel with less interference for the test. Ensure that the channel utilization is lower than 5% during the test.
• Keep the test terminal (for example, a laptop) close to the AP. Place the AP vertically, facing the terminal in front. The distance between the AP and terminal ranges from 20 cm to 100 cm, ensuring an RSSI of about –35 dBm for the terminal.

Test terminal

• Use a mainstream mobile phone that supports the Wi-Fi 6 protocol, such as Apple's or Huawei's mobile phone, as the test terminal.
• Download a mainstream test app, such as SpeedTest or Petal Speed.
• Shut down unnecessary processes and associate the terminal with signals other than the configured basic SSID for pretest.

Key Configuration

1. Create a test SSID.

   Choose Provision > Physical Network > Site Configuration. Find the corresponding site of the test AP. Access the AP-Wi-Fi tab page, create a test SSID and retain its default settings to ensure that the signal can be broadcast properly.

2. Modify basic radio parameters.

   Access the Radio tab page, select a test AP and configure its 5 GHz radio. Set Frequency bandwidth to 80MHz or 160MHz, disable Automatic channel selection and Automatic power selection, and set Transmit power to 127 (maximum transmit power).

   Disable the 2.4 GHz radio to prevent the terminal from associating with the 2.4 GHz radio by mistake.

3. Modify advanced radio parameters. Enable A-MSDU and set Maximum subframe count to 3.

4. Modify general radio parameters. Disable RTS-CTS mode and set RTS-CTS threshold to 2347.

5. Modify general radio parameters. Disable Smart roaming.

Test Method (Speedtest App)

1. Check the 5 GHz channel utilization of the AP.

   Choose Monitoring > Overview > Device 360. Access the Radio tab page and check the 5 GHz channel utilization of the AP. Ensure that the channel utilization is lower than 5%. If the channel utilization is higher than 5%, you need to eliminate the interference.

2. Enable the location service on the mobile phone and connect the mobile phone to the SSID to be tested at a place 20–100 cm away from the AP. Ensure that no obstacle exists between the mobile phone and AP.
3. Start the Speedtest app and touch Change Test Server. On the screen that is displayed, touch Select automatically to automatically select the optimal server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

4. Touch Change Test Server, select the nearest server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

Test Method (Petal Speed App)

1. Check the 5 GHz channel utilization of the AP.

   Choose Monitoring > Overview > Device 360. Access the Radio tab page and check the 5 GHz channel utilization of the AP. Ensure that the channel utilization is lower than 5%. If the channel utilization is higher than 5%, you need to eliminate the interference.

2. Enable the location service on the mobile phone and connect the mobile phone to the SSID to be tested at a place 20–100 cm away from the AP. Ensure that no obstacle exists between the mobile phone and AP.
3. Start the Petal Speed app. Touch Change server. On the screen that is displayed, touch Use recommended server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

4. Touch Change server, select the nearest server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

Test Preparation

Test environment

• Configure a Fit AP to go online on a WAC, and ensure that the AP and WAC use the recommended versions and patches.
• Configure a basic SSID to ensure that terminals can access the Internet through the SSID.
• Configure connectivity of the wired network to ensure that the target bandwidth is available between the access switch and the Internet. The wireless test speed is about 70% of the wired test speed.
• In a performance test, interference on the air interface should be as little as possible. Use an air interface scanning tool to select a channel with less interference for the test. Ensure that the channel utilization is lower than 5% during the test.
• Keep the test terminal (for example, a laptop) close to the AP. Place the AP vertically, facing the terminal in front. The distance between the AP and terminal ranges from 20 cm to 100 cm, ensuring an RSSI of about –35 dBm for the terminal.

Key Configuration

1. Configure the AP to go online, create a test SSID, and ensure that the signal can be broadcast properly.
2. Create an RRM profile and disable air interface configurations such as smart roaming.

   rrm-profile name best
     smart-roam disable
     smart-roam quick-kickoff-threshold disable
     sta-load-balance dynamic disable
     multimedia-air-optimize disable
     bss-color disable
     spatial-reuse disable

3. Create an air scan profile and disable the scanning function.

   air-scan-profile name best
    scan-disable

4. Create a 5 GHz radio profile. Bind the RRM profile and air scan profile to the 5 GHz radio profile. Disable the RTS-CTS mode, enable A-MSDU, and disable the smart antenna.

   radio-5g-profile name best
     rrm-profile best
     rts-cts-threshold 2347
     rts-cts-mode disable
     a-msdu enable
     vht a-msdu max-frame-num 3
     air-scan-profile best
     smart-antenna disable

5. Create a traffic profile and disable dynamic rate limiting. Perform this operation for Wi-Fi 5 series APs and the AP7060DN.

   traffic-profile name best
     rate-limit client dynamic disable

6. Create a VAP profile, bind the traffic profile to the VAP profile, and disable the band steering and dynamic flow inspection (DFI) functions.

   vap-profile name best
     service-vlan vlan-id vlan-id
     ssid-profile best
     security-profile security-profile
     traffic-profile best
     band-steer disable
     dynamic flow inspection disable

7. Bind the VAP profile and 5 GHz radio profile to the AP radio.

   ap-id xx
     radio 1
       radio-5g-profile best
       vap-profile best

8. Modify basic radio parameters. Disable the 2.4 GHz radio to prevent the terminal from associating with the 2.4 GHz radio by mistake. Set the bandwidth of the 5 GHz radio to 160 MHz, select a channel with less interference, and disable the dynamic channel assignment (DCA) and transmit power control (TPC) functions.

   ap-id xx
     radio 0
       radio disable
     radio 1
       channel 160Mhz 36
       calibrate auto-channel-select disable
       calibrate auto-txpower-select disable

Test Method (Speedtest App)

1. Check the 5 GHz channel utilization of the AP. Ensure that the channel utilization is lower than 5%. If the channel utilization is higher than 5%, you need to eliminate the interference.
   1. Run the display ap all command to check the AP ID.
   2. Run the display radio ap-id ap-id command to check the channel utilization of the AP.

2. Enable the location service on the mobile phone and connect the mobile phone to the SSID to be tested at a place 20–100 cm away from the AP. Ensure that no obstacle exists between the mobile phone and AP.
3. Run the display station all command to check the radio with which the mobile phone associated. Ensure that the mobile phone is associated with the 5 GHz radio.
4. Start the Speedtest app and touch Change Test Server. On the screen that is displayed, touch Select automatically to automatically select the optimal server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

5. Touch Change Test Server, select the nearest server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

Test Method (Petal Speed App)

1. Check the 5 GHz channel utilization of the AP. Ensure that the channel utilization is lower than 5%. If the channel utilization is higher than 5%, you need to eliminate the interference.
   1. Run the display ap all command to check the AP ID.
   2. Run the display radio ap-id ap-id command to check the channel utilization of the AP.

2. Enable the location service on the mobile phone and connect the mobile phone to the SSID to be tested at a place 20–100 cm away from the AP. Ensure that no obstacle exists between the mobile phone and AP.
3. Run the display station all command to check the radio with which the mobile phone associated. Ensure that the mobile phone is associated with the 5 GHz radio.
4. Start the Petal Speed app. Touch Change server. On the screen that is displayed, touch Use recommended server, and repeat the test for multiple times.

5. Touch Change server, select the nearest server, and repeat the test for multiple times.