CT525-1200-6n LANforge WiFIRE 802.11a/b/g/n 6-radio WiFi Traffic Generator supporting 1200 Virtual STA Interfaces
The CT525-1200-6n wireless traffic generator is an excellent choice for testing Access Points
and other WiFi networks.
 The ath9k (a/b/g/n)
chipset NICs can support up to 200 stations per radio.
__AX_AMT_PER_RAD_TXT__
Each of the Virtual Stations has its own IP address, IP port space, MAC address and routing
table.  The Virtual Stations can be assigned to communicate to a particular
Access Point, use a particular SSID, and Open or
WPA/WPA2 authentication assigned.  More advanced 802.1X authentication is
also included.  Each radio can be configured independently of the
other.  Transmit power and channel/frequency
is configured on a per-radio basis.  Most other settings are configurable per virtual
station.
 There are six a/b/g/n WiFi radios per CT525-1200-6n and multiple LANforge systems can
be clustered together for even more realistic radio interference patterns and increased
traffic generation capability.
All virtual stations on the same radio must be on the same frequency, but as long as the protocol
supports that frequency, the multiple protocols can be used concurrently.  For instance,
if the radio is configured for a 2.4Ghz channel, the stations can be /b, /g, /n, or /ax.  If
the radio is on a 5Ghz channel, the stations can be /a, /n, ac, or ax.  The bandwidth can be
configured for all protocols.
The Virtual Stations may be configured with all of the virtual interfaces on the same
subnet, or different subnets, depending on the testing requirements.  When used
with something like VoIP, it allows all of the VoIP calls to use the standard IP
ports (with one call per virtual interface).
The CT525-1200-6n is a 2U rackmount system. It has 18 antennas.
It will fit into a standard rackmount cabinet. No additional hardware or software is
required, but it is suggested that you manage the system using the LANforge GUI on a separate
machine.  The CT525-1200-6n can also be managed over a serial console
in text mode or through a directly connected monitor, mouse and keyboard.
Performance exceeds 900Mbps per 802.11AC radio: 
 Open   |  
 WPA2 |  
 TCP-DL-30sta |  
 UDP-Netgear-64sta |  
 TCP-Netgear-64sta |  
 UDP-LANforge-AP-64sta |  
 TCP-LANforge-AP-64sta |  
 Hunt-Open |  
 Hunt-WPA2
   
         
  
Other Images:
   Some antennas,
   all antennas, and the
    rear.
 
        
| NOTE:  This product may have a different hardware
configuration than the system pictured above. Refer to your official quote for details.
 | 
   
   
  
 
 
        
| NOTE:  This product may have a different hardware
configuration than the system pictured above. Refer to your official quote for details.
 | 
        
   
        
 
 
  
  
    Candela Technologies Inc., 2417 Main Street, Suite 201, P.O. Box 3285,
    Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
  
  
 
  
Example Network Diagram
 
 
 
 
  
  
    Candela Technologies Inc., 2417 Main Street, Suite 201, P.O. Box 3285,
    Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
  
  
 
Quick Start Guide
  - Connect Management Ethernet port to Management network or management PC.  If
      connecting directly to a PC, an Ethernet cross-over cable should be used.
- Connect eth1 wired Ethernet interface to wired Ethernet interface on the AP or
      network under test.  This usually is considered the 'server' side of the network.
- The Client side of the network will be the Virtual Stations configured on the
      CT525-1200-6n WiFi NIC(s).
- Connect power to standard US or European AC power source.  If using external
      battery pack, then connect to that instead.  Click button to power on the unit.
- The CT525-1200-6n should now boot.  If DHCP is enabled on the Management network,
      the CT525-1200-6n will automatically acquire an IP address.  If DHCP is not available,
      the IP address will be set to 192.168.1.101.
- Install the LANforge-GUI on a separate management PC or Laptop, or use VNC or remote-desktop
      programs to access the LANforge system directly.  Windows, MAC-OS and
      Linux GUIs are supported:  Select the correct one from the web page served from
      the LANforge system and install it.
- Start the LANforge-GUI on the management PC and click the 'Discover' button.
      It should find the CT525-1200-6n appliance and add the IP address to the drop-down
      box in the Connect widget.  Press 'Connect' and you will be connected to
      the CT525-1200-6n.
- Select the Port Mgr tab in the GUI.  Double-click on the device called 'wiphy0'.  This
      is the Radio device, and should be configured for the correct,
      channel, country-code, etc.  Next, select one or more of the Virtual Station
      interfaces and click 'Modify'.  Enter the correct IP address information, SSID and
      WPA/WPA2 password (if Enabled).
      After applying these changes, the Virtual Station interface should associate with
      the AP and be ready to send traffic.  You may create up to 1200 Virtual Station interfaces
      per CT525-1200-6n with the 'Create' button.
- Once the interfaces are configured correctly, you can click on the Layer 3, VOIP/RTP and other
      LANforge-FIRE related GUI tabs and configure/modify/start/stop particular traffic patterns
      that utilize the virtual stations and wired Ethernet interface.  In most cases, you will want
      one of the FIRE endpoints to be on the wired interface and the other to be on the WiFi Virtual
      Station interface.  It is also valid to generate traffic between two Virtual Station interfaces.
      The GUI Chamber View window provides some automated test suites.
      Contact support if you have suggestions for improvements.
  
- Any GUI modifications take place immediately after you click 'Submit' or 'OK'.
 
 
 
  
  
    Candela Technologies Inc., 2417 Main Street, Suite 201, P.O. Box 3285,
    Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
  
  
 
LANforge WiFIRE Related Images
Virtual Station Configuration Screen
 
 
 
 
  
  
    Candela Technologies Inc., 2417 Main Street, Suite 201, P.O. Box 3285,
    Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
  
  
 
Layer 3 (Ethernet, UDP, TCP) Connections
 
Layer 3 Create/Modify Screen
 
Software Features
 - Supports real-world protocols:
  
   - Layer 2: Raw-Ethernet.
- 802.1Q VLANs.
- PPPoE:  Integrated PPPoE support.
- Layer 3: IPv4, IPv6, UDP/IP, IGMP Multicast UDP, TCP/IP.
- Layer 4-7: FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, TFTP, SFTP, SCP
- 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Station (up to 1200 per machine).
- Layer 4-7: TELNET, PING, DNS, SMTP, NMAP (via add-on script).
- File-IO: NFSv3, NFSv4, CIFS, iSCSI.
 
- Supports up to 1000 concurrent TCP connections with base license package.
- The CT525-1200-6n is able to push up to 345Mbps through an AP, depending on the protocols
mix, wireless mode and environment, and speed of the network under test.
Supports at least 60 VoIP (SIP, RTP) calls if appropriate
licenses are purchased.  When all six a/b/g/n radios are configured on different channels,
combined maximum upload speed exceeds 625Mbps (NOTE: Tested with 802.11a/b/g/n NICs.  The ath10k a/b/g/n/AC
chipset NICs have not been performance tested yet.)
More powerful systems are also available.
- Supports real-world compliance with ARP protocol.
- Supports ToS (QoS) settings for TCP/IP and UDP/IP connections.
- Uses publicly available Linux and Windows network stacks for increased standards compliance.
- Utilizes libcurl
     for FTP, HTTP and HTTPS (SSL), TFTP and SCP protocols.
- Supports file system test endpoints (NFS, CIFS, and iSCSI file systems, too!).
     File system mounts can use the virtual interface feature for advanced testing
     of file server applications.
- Supports custom command-line programs, such as telnet, SMTP, and ping.
- Comprehensive traffic reports include: Packet Transmit Rate, Packet Receive Rate,
     Packet Drop %, Transmit Bytes, Receive Bytes, Latency, Jitter,
     various Ethernet driver level counters, and much more.
- Supports generation of reports that are ready to be imported into your favorite
     spread-sheet.
- Allows packet sniffing and network protocol decoding with the integrated
     Wireshark protocol sniffer.
- GUI runs as Java application on Linux, MAC and Microsoft Operating
     Systems (among others).
- GUI can run remotely, even over low-bandwidth links to accommodate the
     needs of the users.
- Central management application can manage multiple units, tests, and
     testers simultaneously.
- Includes easy built-in scripting for iterating through rates and packet
     sizes, with automated reporting.  Also supports scriptable command line interface (telnet)
     which can be used to automate test
     scenarios. Perl libraries and example scripts are provided!
- Automatic discovery of LANforge data generators simplifies configuration
     of LANforge test equipment.
- LANforge traffic generation/management software is supported on
     Linux and MS Windows.
 
 
 
  
  
    Candela Technologies Inc., 2417 Main Street, Suite 201, P.O. Box 3285,
    Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
  
  
 
Hardware Specification
     - High-End Intel Multi-Core 2U rackmount server.
- Operating System:  Fedora Linux with customized Linux kernel.
- Up to 28 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports on PCIe bus. Additional interface for management.
- High-availability Ethernet hardware bypass option available.
- Quad-Core Intel processor.
- 7 PCIe low profile slots.
- Optional NICs include: 4-port 10/100/1000 copper, 2-port 10/100/1000 copper,
         2-port 1Gbps fibre, 2-port 10Gbps fibre, 2-port 10Gbps copper (CX4),
         802.11a/b/g/n WiFi NIC, 802.11a/b/g/n/AC WiFi NIC.
- 16 GB or more RAM.
- 120 GB or larger SSD Hard Drive.
- Weight: 20.4 lbs or 9.3 kg.
- Dimensions:  17 x 18 x 3 inches  (18-inch deep standard 2U rackmount server)    Metric:
         432 x 457 x 76 mm.
- 520W power supply w/PFC, 100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz, 7 - 3 Amps
- Estimated Power Usage:  2.1 Amps @ 120 VAC under load, 1.4 Amps idle.
- ROHS compliant.
- Six Atheros/Qualcomm 802.11a/b/g/n 3x3 MIMO NICs with three external antenna each.
  Supports up to 1200 virtual stations (200 per a/b/g/n radio).
- Dual-band antennas: 5 dBi @ 2.4 GHz, 3 dBi @ 5 GHz.
- Antenna-to-Radio association: See labels on chassis.
List Price: $46,985    
List Price with 1 Year support (17%): $54,972
Additional Feature Upgrades
Unless otherwise noted in the product description, these features usually cost extra:
  
  
  
    
     
       Candela Technologies Inc., 2417 Main Street, Suite 201, P.O. Box 3285,
    Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
     
    
  
 
Last modified: Thu Sep 25 17:21:58 PDT 2025