Cellular networks and Wireless Local Area Networks (“WLANs”) enable communications between mobile wireless devices such as mobile phones and portable computers and fixed location wireless devices such as access points and base stations. It is naturally desirable to test the performance of such devices under different conditions. However, testing wireless devices in an open environment is notoriously difficult because wireless communications can be affected by ambient sources of interference. It is now relatively common to use simulators to perform wireless device testing in a closed environment. One type of simulator includes a separate container for each wireless device to shield against external electromagnetic interference (EMI). Communications are converted from wireless radio frequency (RF) to wired signals, and the containers are placed in communication via wired connections. A simulator connected between the containers subjects the communications to simulated physical environmental effects. In particular, a user enters detailed data indicative of effects on each path at various points in time to define a test. Alternatively, the complex calculations required to configure a simulator are performed by a computer during a preparation phase and the results are used to generate a “playback” test. Such simulators certainly provide some advantages over open air testing. However, configuring a simulator for a network of even modest complexity is difficult and time consuming because the number of pathways increases significantly as a function of the number of devices in the test. This presents a problem for both physical wiring between devices and calculations for programming emulation modules. For example, simulators that require detailed manual data entry may become impractical when scaled up due to the volume of data that must be entered. Similarly, the preparation phase for playback test simulators increases, and the lack of ability to quickly implement changes results in inefficiency.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds