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WiFiMon Hardware Probes (WHP) are used for performance measurements in a WiFi network from dedicated small form factor devices which are installed in fixed points. WiFiMon tested its operation and recommends the use of Raspberry Pi’s v3 Model B+ or v4. 

WHP configuration

WiFiMon Hardware Probe will work in the following configuration:

WiFiMon Raspberry Pi image given above is a custom version of Raspbian Stretch with desktop, with the default Raspberry Pi credentials (user: pi, password: raspberry).

We advise the user to secure Raspberry Pi by changing the default password (more details are given below in Step 3).

Setting up the WHP

Step 1: Write the image to the micro SD card

Follow the instructions at the official Raspberry Pi site. Skip the "Download the image" step and use the WiFiMon Raspberry Pi operating system image instead.

Step 2: Start the Raspberry Pi

Follow the simple steps below:

  • Insert the microSD in the Raspberry Pi
  • Plug the USB keyboard into one of the USB ports (or USB wireless adapter for keyboard and mouse)
  • Plug the USB mouse into one of the USB ports
  • Connect the monitor cable to the Pi's HDMI port
  • Plug the power supply into a socket and connect it to the micro USB power port

You should see a red light on the Raspberry Pi and raspberries on the monitor. The WiFiMon Hardware Probe will boot up into a graphical desktop.

Step 3: Configure the RPi

Secure your Raspberry Pi by changing the default password. Optionally, you may enable SSH to access the command line of a Raspberry Pi remotely or setup remote desktop.

Next, you have to connect to the wireless network you want to measure. Then, you have to set which tests will be executed (NetTest/boomerang/speedtest) and how often. To do that, open the terminal (as user "pi") and enter the command: crontab -e. The last 6 lines of the crontab file should be as in the following example:

19,39,59 * * * * export DISPLAY=:0 && firefox --new-window https://www.google.com >/dev/null 2>&1

00,05,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55 * * * * export DISPLAY=:0 && firefox --new-tab URL_TO_nettest.html >/dev/null 2>&1

01,22,42 * * * * export DISPLAY=:0 && firefox --new-tab URL_TO_speedworker.html >/dev/null 2>&1

04,24,44 * * * * export DISPLAY=:0 && firefox --new-tab URL_TO_boomerang.html >/dev/null 2>&1

03,08,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,53,58 /home/pi/wireless.py >> ~/cron.log 2>&1

06,26,46 * * * * scripts/kill-firefox.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

10 0 * * 0 scripts/pi-reboot.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

Note:

Depending on the available tests (or WiFiMon-enabled pages), you can specify which tests will be executed and when. You may also see an example. It is advised to visit the test pages with Mozilla Firefox in case Adding Security Exceptions are necessary, e.g. when certificates are not trusted. This will ensure that SSL-related errors will not prevent the WiFiMon HW Probe from visiting these pages.

Step 4: Wireless Network Performance Metrics

In /home/pi, you will find the Python script wireless.py.

Edit the file to change the URL pointing to the WiFiMon Analysis Station and change the designated number of the testtool. The name of the testtool is "NetTest-x". Please, change only character x by including the sequence number dedicated to your WiFiMon Hardware Probe. For example, if the WiFiMon Hardware Probe has been assigned number 1, enter "NetTest-1".

That's all! At this point you may (optionally) unplug the keyboard, the mouse and the monitor and let the WiFiMon HW Probe measure your wireless network!

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