MeshTest: Laboratory-Based Wireless Testbed for Large Topologies

Mobile, ad-hoc, wireless networks offer an interesting paradigm for ubiquitous connectivity. They have many proposed applications, and with every application comes new protocols. To test such protocols, one has two basic options: simulators and testbeds. We describe a novel wireless networks testbed called MeshTest, supporting mobile, ad-hoc, and mesh environments, with an emphasis on laboratory testing of large, outdoor environments. This paper details the testbed design, and derives mathematical relationships between attenuator settings and real-world topologies. We show how to accurately and efficiently map topologies to our testbed configuration in real time, while supporting both device mobility and multipath fading.