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| Network Testing and Emulation Solutions |
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| Network Testing and Emulation Solutions |
Evaluating Wi-Fi performance in real-world conditions poses consistent challenges. Field-testing environments are difficult to replicate and take considerable time to set up. Consistent results are difficult to produce due to external variables like interference, obstacles, and user mobility. These issues complicate performance benchmarking and device validation for smart home or enterprise Wi-Fi solutions.
To address these limitations, Candela Technologies offers a controlled, repeatable, and scalable testbed solution called Home in a Box. This lab-based environment emulates the complexity of a real home Wi-Fi network. Using Candela's LANforge software, we provide consistent and repeatable Wi-Fi performance testing across a wide range of scenarios—without relying on unpredictable field trials.
Watch Chamber Movie
Home in a Box supports seamless testing across multiple platforms including Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. In addition to physical device support, the LANforge system can create numerous virtual clients, enabling high-density client emulation for stress testing and scalability analysis.
The illustration above depicts how devices are categorized based on their distance from the associated Device Under Test (DUT). This scenario mirrors a realistic smart home layout by grouping devices based on their distance from the DUT. Devices are categorized into three zones:
This grouping allows targeted Wi-Fi signal attenuation and interference emulation, offering valuable insights into device behavior across varying signal strengths.
The topology of the testbed includes four isolation chambers. The DUT is placed inside a shielded RF isolation chamber. Three additional chambers represent the near, medium, and far client groups. Each client chamber is connected via programmable attenuators, allowing testers to precisely emulate distance effects and RF conditions. This setup enables repeatable Wi-Fi testing and is critical for validating Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 devices.
The web interface allows users to set up test environments with minimal manual intervention. With just a few inputs, users can configure the testbed, define scenarios, and start automated Wi-Fi testing in a matter of minutes—making the process efficient and user-friendly.
The Testbed Status Dashboard acts as a control center for monitoring and configuration. Users can access:
This helps streamline Wi-Fi performance validation in both development and QA workflows.
The Traffic Profiles module lets users define detailed network traffic simulations tailored to specific test cases. Key configurable parameters include:
This allows engineers to recreate realistic Wi-Fi usage patterns, essential for verifying Quality of Service (QoS) and application-level performance under various load conditions.
Candela’s Home in a Box test system includes this test hardware:
Most LANforge systems can generally be shipped within 2-3 weeks of customer PO. RF chambers and attenuators may need 6-8 weeks of lead time. Direct-from-the-factory shipping is available for the RF chambers to decrease shipping costs and lead times.
Customers with only occasional test needs can use our Test as a Service option. Candela engineers can do the testing for you in our fully equipped test lab and provide a detailed test report with recommendations.
For more information, please contact sales@candelatech.com or give us a call at: 1-360-380-1618
