Synopsis

ASSERT is a testbed designed to aide development of new algorithms for wireless networks. By providing a controlled environment using real hardware, users can examine algorithm performance in various RF environments. While other hardware exists for high fidelity physical layer emulations, ASSERT provides a platform to perform complex, automated experiments. This thesis aims to substantially improve the repeatability and automation of ASSERT. By making software improvements, I simplify experiment creation for novice users of the testbed, increase the software maintainability and streamline the creation of new testbed software. I then create an attenuation model to emulate over-the-air distance on the testbed. After, I perform several testbed experiments to investigate various properties of the Units Under Test (UUTs). Once these are completed, I perform some experiments to validate the testbed. By comparing a set of field experiments to the equivalent testbed experiments, I determine how strongly testbed tests correlate to field experiments.