In early 2018, The DFS Project was born out of a conversation around the Wi-Fi industry’s need to validate DFS functionality in the field. After over a year of research, testing, and on-going discussions, the WifiMETRIX2 was born. Now you can create picture-perfect DFS events in the field, exactly as the regulatory bodies test the APs in a lab.
With The WifiMETRIX2 You can answer questions like:
- Does my AP detect DFS events of various types?
- If a DFS event is detected, does my AP move to a new channel? If so, how long does that take?
- Does my AP announce the Channel Switch Announcement (CSAs) in beacons, probe responses, and action frames? If so, for how long?
- If a DFS event happens, how does it affect application performance on my devices?
Combined with a channel scanner you can also answer the following questions:
- When my channel changes, where does it go?
- Does my AP return to the original channel? If so, after how long?
- After a channel change, what happens to the channels on the other APs in the area?
While validation of DFS functionality is the primary goal of the new DFS feature set in the WifiMETRIX2, the same features can be used for other purposes (hint: automatic channel/power testing and DFS event sensitivity testing). Just because a vendor sends their AP through DFS testing (and receives a certification from the regulatory body) at one point in time does not mean that an AP will maintain the same level of DFS event recognition throughout its life because firmware and software change the AP’s functionality over time. Finally, the industry has a diagnostics platform that can fill the DFS testing gap and provide visibility into previously unexplored and unvalidated AP functionality.
Well done Nuts About Nets!
Devin Akin
David Coleman’s DFS presentation at WLPC Prague 2019
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about DFS (dynamic frequency selection) — and more…
Thank you David Coleman and Wireless LAN Professionals.