JDSU WFED-300AC WiFi Advisor Wireless Network Analyzer

JDSU Wi-Fi Advisor
The first wireless LAN analyzer built for installers at all skill levels

End users depend on WiFi to reliably deliver premium services such as video OTT and IPTV to endpoints throughout their homes. However, non-WiFi interference, competing WiFi networks and channels, and the exploding number of WiFi clients often hinder WiFi performance. As a result, 50% of all trouble calls are now WiFi related. Technicians who install and maintain WiFi in the home require robust installation methods and rapid, intuitive troubleshooting capabilities that even a WiFi novice can use.

The WiFi Advisor consists of a host application (running on an iPad, Android tablet, or the Viavi OneExpert platform) and one or more WFED-300AC test devices. It is the first test solution to meet the needs of technicians at all skill levels. Providing a new, visually rich approach to testing, its intuitive capabilities enable rapid characterization, optimization, and troubleshooting of highly changeable and vulnerable home WiFi networks. It shows a wholehome view of real WiFi performance margin and can deliver easy-to-understand information directly to the end customer.

Consolidate Your Test Investment
The WiFi Advisor is fully integrated with the Viavi OneExpert broadband-to-the-home test platform. This power combination lets you test fiber, the home WiFi network, and either copper or cable.

Flexible Viavi platform architecture helps customers maximize their overall investment in broadband-to-the-home test tools. There are two ways you can consolidate your toolset and minimize both OpEx and CapEx:

• Control a single WiFi Advisor from your OneExpert to do BSSID, spectral, and channel view testing. This lets you avoid purchasing a separate tablet device to host the WiFi Advisor application and reports. The OneExpert hosts the WiFi Advisor application.
• Conduct two-ended testing with a single WiFi Advisor, a tablet, and your OneExpert. Consolidate your tool set and eliminate the need for two WFEDs

Troubleshooting and Optimization
Using a single WFED-300AC device, users can quickly visualize, optimize, and troubleshoot WiFi networks using the Smart Channel Wizard and the complementary BSSID, Channel, and Spectral views. The SmartChannel Wizard summarizes the KPIs and the health of the selected BSSID and the channel in which it resides. The summary will help novice uses and guide them to a resolution for each metric that is not optimal with practical optimization guidance. The Wizard sees beyond access point occupancies into the client detail of the entire customer network and the clients or any co-channel-sharing networks.

BSSID view provides quick visibility into active wireless networks and identifies the least-crowded channel to use for your access point. The application plots each in-range BSSID by channel and signal strength and identifies access points sharing a channel (co-channel interferers) or overlapping a channel (adjacent interferers) for each channel in the band. It also displays continuously-updated trend graphs of BSSID signal strength, noise, and channel utilization as the installer moves through the site.

Channel view finds the best channels for an access point by showing utilization, noise, co-channel interferers, adjacent channel interferers, and an overall channel score for each channel. Simply pressing the Best Channels button lists the top three channels for each channel width within the selected band.

Spectral view shows damaging RF interference with a real-time spectral analyzer configurable by 802.11 band, channel, and channel width. It helps find interfering signals by showing all RF energy within a given channel/channel width of interest.

Site Assessment
Actual Layer 3 throughput margin is the key factor for determining the tolerance to changes in the WiFi environment. A high throughput margin equates to a high WiFi network resiliency and a reduced likelihood of trouble calls and repeat truck rolls. It is especially important when your customer expects high QOE in video over WiFi

The WiFi Advisor shows real Layer 3 performance and determines the sources of throughput loss throughout a site. And, it conducts whole home performance testing either with or without the customer’s access point. During the assessment, it lets a technician:

• Determine the maximum packet throughput capacity for a WiFi connection under test
• Gain visibility into factors impacting throughput
• Assess throughput margin relative to the configured service level threshold

Simple test profile configuration, guided test flows, and free-form test location sequencing make site assessment fast and easy, rapidly mapping WiFi performance across physical, link, and packet layers simultaneously. The test flow also allows for rapid “what if?” testing: if the end user wants to understand how a wireless set top box would work outside on the patio, it’s a simple matter to add that location to the test flow.

Educating Customers Reduces Calls
Educating customers about their installed WiFi network is key to reducing callbacks and repeats. To this end, the WiFi Advisor gathers test results from all locations and all device profiles and creates a highly informative report that sets proper expectations. It can be e-mailed directly to the end user from the host application. The net result is a standardized approach to WiFi testing that thoroughly evaluates actual performance at each location of interest throughout the site and provides highly informative, leave-behind information.

Key Benefits

• Improves QoE, reduces trouble calls and repeats
• Reduces mean-time-to-repair
• Assesses a wide range of end-user device classes
• Educates customers about true performance
• Enables test conformance and repeatability across your workforce

Key Features

• Site performance report educates customers
• TrueMargin™ optimizes WiFi site throughput
• Intuitive and easy user interface recommends best channel and optimization steps
• Highly-configurable radio supports 2.4 G 802.11b/g/n and 5 G 802.11a/n/ac up to 3x3 with MIMO
• Associates job- or work-ticket information with site assessment results for export to the cloud for storage and analysis

Applications

• WiFi troubleshooting and optimization
• Whole-home WiFi performance mapping and throughput analysis
• Wireless IPTV service installation
• End-user education

Specifications:

Supported 802.11 standards	2.4 GHz: b/g/n 5 GHz: a/n/ac
Number of streams	1x1, 2x2, and 3x3
Maximum achievable PHY rate	1.3 Gbps
Maximum UDP throughput	512 Mbps
Battery life	4 to 6 hours typical use
DC input voltage	+12 V DC ±2 V
Maximum DC input current	3 A
Connectors	1 mini USB 2.0 (device) 1 USB 2.0 Type A (host) 1 RJ45 Ethernet 10/100/1000M 12 V DC input
Unit height	65 mm
Unit width	177 mm
Unit depth	154 mm
Weight	0.82 kg
Humidity range	10% to 90% noncondensing
Operating temperature range	0 to +40°C
Storage temperature range	–30 to +60°C
Hazardous materials rating	RoHS-5
Host applications and devices	iPad, Android tablet, and Viavi OneExpert platform
iOS Software Application
Minimum iOS version	iOS 8.1.0
Minimum iPad hardware	iPad 2, 16 GB
Android Tablet Software Application
Minimum software version	4.1.x
Recommended hardware	Samsung Galaxy Tab, Tab A, Tab S, Note, Note Pro Verizon Xplore 8 in or larger
OneExpert Platform
OneExpert DSL
Minimum software version	4.0.4
Hardware	ONX-580
OneExpert CATV
Minimum software version	2.0.0
Hardware	ONX-610/620

For full JDSU WFED-300AC product specifications, please click here: JDSU WFED-300AC

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