May 2003 www.veritest.com • [email protected]® Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests Test report prepared under contract from Hewlett Packard and Atheros Hewlett Packard and Atheros commissioned VeriTest, a division of Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., to test the wireless network throughput performance of their HP Compaq NC4000 wireless enabled notebook system versus several other competing notebook solutions using internal and external wireless devices. Our tests measured the wireless network throughput performance of each wireless notebook solution using the system configurations described below running the IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b wireless network protocols. In addition to the performance tests, we conducted a series of tests to measure performance when the wireless solution under test is oriented at different angles relative to the access point. The idea of these tests is to show which wireless notebook solutions we tested has the best send and receive capability at selected orientations found in end-user environments. Key findings 802.11b Receive test – at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.88Mbps, 198% faster than its next closest competitor, the Compaq Evo N620c with the Linksys WPC11 at 1.30Mbps. 802.11b Send test – at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.14Mbps, 25% faster than its next closest competitor, the IBM ThinkPad T30 at 2.51Mbps. For these 802.11a receive tests, we found that the Compaq NC4000 product generated the highest throughput numbers at distances of 60, 75, and 100ft compared to all other products tested . For these 802.11a send tests, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one distance, 19.22Mbps at 60ft. For this 802.11b receive orientation test, the results show that the Hewlett Packard NC4000 product generated highest average throughput numbers, 10.20Mbps, of any of the specific distances and orientations we tested listed below compared to each of the participating wireless system configurations. Also, we measured the wireless network throughput performance of HP Compaq NC4000 notebook system using the IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g (draft) wireless network protocols. We measured and compared the wireless performance across these three wireless network protocols. The throughput testing consists of two types of tests, namely a transmit data and a receive data test. We used NetIQ’s Chariot 4.2 to generate transmit and receive network traffic between each wireless notebook solution and a desktop system connected through a wireless access point. We installed one NetIQ Chariot endpoint on each notebook system with an internal or external wireless solution and a second endpoint on a desktop system connected through a wireless access point. We tested for performance using an indoor office environment. For this test, we tested each of the wireless system configurations using their OEM Microsoft WindowsXP SP1 operating system as installed by the manufacturer. Hewlett Packard supplied the HP Compaq NC4000 and the Compaq Evo N620c. VeriTest purchased the remaining notebook systems and external wireless cards from third party retail vendors.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests Test report prepared under contract from Hewlett Packard and Atheros Hewlett Packard and Atheros commissioned VeriTest, a division of Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., to test the wireless network throughput performance of their HP Compaq NC4000 wireless enabled notebook system versus several other competing notebook solutions using internal and external wireless devices. Our tests measured the wireless network throughput performance of each wireless notebook solution using the system configurations described below running the IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b wireless network protocols. In addition to the performance tests, we conducted a series of tests to measure performance when the wireless solution under test is oriented at different angles relative to the access point. The idea of these tests is to show which wireless notebook solutions we tested has the best send and receive capability at selected orientations found in end-user environments.
Key findings 802.11b Receive test – at the 200ft test distance the HP
Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.88Mbps, 198% faster than its next closest competitor, the Compaq Evo N620c with the Linksys WPC11 at 1.30Mbps.
802.11b Send test – at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.14Mbps, 25% faster than its next closest competitor, the IBM ThinkPad T30 at 2.51Mbps.
For these 802.11a receive tests, we found that the Compaq NC4000 product generated the highest throughput numbers at distances of 60, 75, and 100ft compared to all other products tested .
For these 802.11a send tests, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one distance, 19.22Mbps at 60ft.
For this 802.11b receive orientation test, the results show that the Hewlett Packard NC4000 product generated highest average throughput numbers, 10.20Mbps, of any of the specific distances and orientations we tested listed below compared to each of the participating wireless system configurations.
Also, we measured the wireless network throughput performance of HP Compaq NC4000 notebook system using the IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g (draft) wireless network protocols. We measured and compared the wireless performance across these three wireless network protocols. The throughput testing consists of two types of tests, namely a transmit data and a receive data test. We used NetIQ’s Chariot 4.2 to generate transmit and receive network traffic between each wireless notebook solution and a desktop system connected through a wireless access point. We installed one NetIQ Chariot endpoint on each notebook system with an internal or external wireless solution and a second endpoint on a desktop system connected through a wireless access point. We tested for performance using an indoor office environment. For this test, we tested each of the wireless system configurations using their OEM Microsoft WindowsXP SP1 operating system as installed by the manufacturer. Hewlett Packard supplied the HP Compaq NC4000 and the Compaq Evo N620c. VeriTest purchased the remaining notebook systems and external wireless cards from third party retail vendors.
For the 802.11b throughput testing, we used the following wireless systems tested with a Cisco 1200 Series Access Point
• HP Compaq NC4000 with internal HP WLAN – Atheros • Compaq N620c with Compaq W200 Multiport WLAN – Agere • IBM ThinkPad T30 internal Cisco WLAN – Cisco • Dell Latitude C400 with internal Dell TrueMobile 1150 – Lucent/Agere • Toshiba Protégé 4010 with internal Toshiba WLAN – Lucent/Agere • Compaq N620c with external Linksys WPC11 – Intersil • Compaq N620c with external Orinoco Gold – Lucent/Agere • Compaq N620c with external Cisco AIR-PCM340 – Cisco
For the 802.11a throughput testing, we used the following wireless systems tested with a Cisco 1200 Series Access Point
• HP Compaq NC4000 with internal HP WLAN – Atheros • Compaq EVO N620C with Netgear MAB104 • Compaq EVO N620C with Linksys WPC51AB • Compaq EVO N620C with Cisco AIRCB20A • Compaq EVO N620C with Proxim Gold A/B Combo 8460 • Toshiba Satellite Pro 6100 with internal Atheros AR5001X – Atheros • Dell Latitude D800 with internal Dell TrueMobile 1400- Broadcom • IBM ThinkPad R40 a/b with internal Dual-Band Atheros – Philips/Atheros
Please refer to the Test methodology section of this report for complete details on how we conducted the testing.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 2
802.11b Throughput performance testing
Receive Data Throughput Test Results The receive data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an incoming stream of network traffic from the desktop system through a wireless access point to the wireless notebook under test at distances of 60, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. In addition, we included the maximum failover distance and throughput for each wireless notebook systems. We conducted these receive tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11b module. Figure 1 shows the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance tested. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11b receive tests, we found that the Hewlett Packard NC4000 product generated the highest throughput numbers at six of these seven specific predetermined distances we tested compared to each of the other participating wireless system configurations. In addition, the Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one test distance, 6.02Mbps at both 60 and 75ft. Also, at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.88Mbps, 198% faster than its next closest competitor, the Compaq Evo N620c with the Linksys WPC11 at 1.30Mbps.
Compaq Evo N620cDell Latitude c400IBM ThinkPad T30Toshiba Protégé 4010 Compaq Evo N620c with Cisco 340Compaq Evo N620c with Linksys WPC11Compaq Evo N620c with Orinoco Gold
Figure 1: 802.11b Receive Test Throughput Data
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 3
Send Data Throughput Test Results The send data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an outgoing stream of network traffic from the wireless notebook system through a wireless access point to the desktop system at distances of 60, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. In addition, we included the maximum failover distance and throughput for each wireless notebook systems. We conducted these send tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11b module. Figure 2 shows the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11b send tests, we found that both the HP Compaq NC4000 and Compaq Evo N620c with Cisco 340 external card reported comparable and the highest throughput numbers of 5.9Mbps distances of 60, 75, and 100ft. However, the HP Compaq NC4000 product generated higher throughput numbers at 125, 150, and 200ft, namely 5.78, 4.98 and 3.14Mbps respectively. It is worth noting that at our maximum test distance of 200ft, the Compaq NC4000 and the IBM ThinkPad T30 are the only two systems to successfully complete the test iterations. In addition, at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.14Mbps, 25% faster than its next closest competitor, the IBM ThinkPad T30 at 2.51Mbps.
s) HP Compaq NC4000Compaq Evo N620cDell Latitude c400IBM ThinkPad T30Toshiba Protégé 4010 Compaq Evo N620c with Cisco 340Compaq Evo N620c with Linksys WPC11Compaq Evo N620c with Orinoco Gold
Figure 2: 802.11b Send Test Throughput Data
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 4
802.11a Throughput performance testing
Receive Data Throughput Test Results The receive data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an incoming stream of network traffic from the desktop system through a wireless access point to the wireless notebook under test at a distances of 60, 75, 100, 116, 125 and 135 feet. We conducted these receive tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11a module. Figure 3 shows the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11a receive tests, we found that the Compaq NC4000 product generated the highest throughput numbers at distances of 60, 75, and 100ft compared to all other products tested. The Hewlett Packard Compaq Evo N620c with the Linksys Card product generated the highest throughput numbers compared to all other products tested at a distance of 116ft with 16.07Mbps. In addition, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one distance, generating 18.48 Mbps at 75ft. It is worth noting that, the Compaq Evo N620c is the only wireless notebook solution tested to complete the test at 135ft and reported an average throughput of 5.45Mbps.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 5
Send Data Throughput Test Results The send data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an outgoing stream of network traffic from the wireless notebook system through a wireless access point to the desktop system at distances of 60, 75, 100, 116, 125, 135 feet. We conducted these send tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11a module. Figure 4 shows the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11a send tests, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one distance, 19.22Mbps at 60ft. In addition, at our maximum test distance of 135ft, the Compaq Evo N620c with the Netgear MAB104 Card reported an average throughput of 3.90Mbps. It was the only product we tested to establish and maintain a connection at this distance.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 6
Test methodology
Hewlett Packard commissioned VeriTest, a division of Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., to compare the network throughput performance of their HP Compaq NC4000 wireless notebook system versus several other competing notebooks using a variety of internal and external wireless devices.
Throughput performance test Our tests measured the wireless network throughput performance of each wireless notebook solution using the system configurations described below running the IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b wireless network protocols. For this test, we tested each of the wireless system configurations using their OEM Microsoft WindowsXP SP1 operating system as installed by the manufacturer. Hewlett Packard supplied the HP Compaq NC4000 and the Compaq Evo N620c systems test systems. VeriTest purchased the remaining notebooks system from third party retail vendors. For the 802.11b wireless throughput testing, we used the following systems tested with a Cisco 1200 Series Access Point
• HP Compaq NC4000 with internal HP WLAN – Atheros • Compaq N620c with Compaq W200 Multiport WLAN – Agere • IBM ThinkPad T30 internal Cisco WLAN – Cisco • Dell Latitude C400 with internal Dell TrueMobile 1150 – Lucent/Agere • Toshiba Protégé 4010 with internal Toshiba WLAN – Lucent/Agere • Compaq N620c with external Linksys WPC11- Intersil • Compaq N620c with external Orinoco Gold – Lucent/Agere • Compaq N620c with external Cisco AIR-PCM340 – Cisco
For the 802.11a wireless throughput testing, we used the following systems tested with a Cisco 1200 Series Access Point
• HP Compaq NC4000 with internal HP WLAN – Atheros • Compaq EVO N620C with Netgear MAB104 • Compaq EVO N620C with Linksys WPC51AB • Compaq EVO N620C with Cisco AIRCB20A • Compaq EVO N620C with Proxim Gold A/B Combo 8460 • Toshiba Satellite Pro 6100 with internal Atheros AR5001X – Atheros • Dell Latitude D800 with internal Dell TrueMobile 1400- Broadcom • IBM ThinkPad R40 a/b with internal Dual-Band Atheros – Philips/Atheros
The throughput testing consists of two types of tests, namely a transmit data and a receive data test. We used NetIQ’s Chariot 4.2 to generate transmit and receive network traffic between each wireless notebook solution and a desktop system connected through a wireless access point. We installed one NetIQ Chariot endpoint on each notebook system with an internal or external wireless solution and a second endpoint on a desktop system. We tested for performance using an indoor office environment. Chariot 4.2 is a network traffic generation product commonly used to measure network throughput performance by sending a continuous stream of data between two endpoints. The Chariot controller system monitors and collects the reported information for each of the test iterations. For the Chariot controller system, we installed Windows 2000 Server SP3 on a Dell Latitude C800 notebook system configured with a 800MHz Intel Pentium III processor, 256 MB RAM, and a single 100Mbps Xircom Card Bus NIC. For the Desktop endpoint system, we installed Windows XP Professional SP1 on a Dell OptiPlex GX115 desktop system configured with an 866MHz Intel Pentium II processor and 256MB RAM, and a single 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet controller.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 7
We connected the Chariot controller system to the access point and the desktop endpoint system via a Netgear FS108 100Mbps full duplex switch. Each notebook system with its internal or external wireless solution connected to the DSS (Distributed Service Set) using its wireless connection to the access point. Figure 6 shows the basic components and network configuration we used for the tests in this report. Detailed information about each of the participating notebook systems, Chariot controller system, Chariot desktop endpoint system, and access points are listed in Appendix A.
Netgear FS108100Mbps Full Duplex
Switch
NetIQ Chariot NotebookController System
Windows 2000 Server SP3
Cisco 1200 Series Access Point 802.11a/b Linksys WAP54G 802.11g
Figure 6: Test bed network diagram For the throughput performance tests, we enabled 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalency Protocol) encryption on both the wireless access point and wireless network solution. We tested each of the wireless system configurations with their OEM WindowsXP SP1 operating systems. We supplied fixed IP addresses for the Chariot controller system, the desktop endpoint system, each wireless solution and access point. We disabled the WindowsXP Wireless Zero Configuration utility to prevent the wireless stations from polling for other available access points. Figure 7 shows the setting we used for our tests. Test System Internet Protocol address Chariot Controller System 192.168.1.250/24 Desktop endpoint 1 192.168.1.1/24 Wireless solution endpoint 2 192.168.1.2/24 Wireless Access Point 192.168.1.254/24 Wireless Network Settings 128-bit WEP Key: ASCII (26 Characters) 41414141414141414141414141 128-bit WEP Key: HEX (13 Characters) AAAAAAAAAAAAA SSID 802.11a AP1200a SSID 802.11b AP1200b SSID 802.11g (draft) LinksysG Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration Utility Set to Manual and Stopped
Figure 7: Distributed Service Set Network Settings To generate the load for the test, we used a default Chariot 4.2 script, file send long (FILESNDL.SCR, 486 bytes), to perform the transmit data tests. This script emulates sending a file from the notebook systems configured with each wireless solution through the access point to the desktop endpoint system. The default file size is 100,000 bytes. To conduct the receive tests, we swapped the order of the Chariot endpoints to direct the data flow from the desktop endpoint system through the access point and to each notebook system with its internal or external wireless solution. In addition, we made the following modifications to the default Chariot run options:
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 8
• Run for a fixed duration: 1 min. • Reporting type: Batch • Automatically poll endpoints: No
For the 802.11b and 802.11g (draft) indoor office environment tests, we tested each notebook system with its internal or external wireless solution at distances of up to 60, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. For the 802.11a indoor office environment tests, we tested each notebook system with its internal or external wireless solution at distances of up to 60, 75, 100, 116, 125, and 135 feet. We measured the distances in a straight line from the access point to each location where we tested. We conducted these tests in a single floor office complex. The wireless signal was obstructed by what we consider to be common obstructions for an office environment, namely walled offices and cubicles. Figure 8 shows an illustration of the indoor office environment in which we conducted our tests.
Figure 8: Floor plan of the office environment test location We verified that there were no other access points and that there were no other wireless devices such as 2.4GHz cordless phones operating in our building when we conducted these tests. We use AirMagnet’s Laptop Series Duo a/b software to scan and locate rogue stations and access points that may affect the results of our tests. For more information about AirMagnet’s Laptop software, please visit the following Internet URL:
http://www.airmagnet.com/products/laptop.htm We measured the target test distances in feet from the access point and marked each location with a permanent adhesive sticker on the carpet of the floor. Each time we tested we placed a test platform in exactly the same position relative to the marker on the ground. For those configurations using an external wireless solution, we configured the antenna of the wireless solution to point directly at the wireless access point for as Zero degrees of orientation. For the internal wireless solutions, we pointed the back of the notebooks display directly at the wireless access point as Zero degrees of orientation. The test platforms for both the access point and the laptop were each set at a total height of 29 inches from the floor, a typical height for an office desk. For all of the tests we conducted, we provided power to each notebook system with its internal or external wireless solution using their AC power adapter. For the indoor office environment tests, we set up each notebook system with its internal or external wireless solution and each wireless adapter at the closest data point in the series, 60 feet, used the built in signal strength reporting feature to ensure it maintained the strongest possible signal, then ran the Chariot tests. We conducted each send and receive test three times at each distance to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of the test results. Once we completed testing, we then moved to the next distance and repeated this process until all data points were tested or when the notebooks system could not sustain a connection link sufficient enough to complete the 3-one minute test iterations. If we were unable to complete a test at a preset data point, we moved the notebook system closer to the access point until we could sustain a connection link sufficient enough to complete the 3-one minute test iterations. This represents the maximum distance at which a specific device is capable of sustaining a connection.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 9
Wireless Orientation Data using 802.11b For the wireless orientation data test, we selected the last 2 distances in which a successful Chariot iteration completed and the previous pre-selected distance for each product tested. We then conducted a series of send and receive tests using Chariot using the different distances and orientations tested for each notebook system at 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° of orientation relative to the access point. We then used the three measurements to compute an average throughput for each location that is listed in this test report. The idea of these tests is to show which wireless notebook solutions we tested has the best send and receive capability at selected orientations relative to access point. This test shows the importance of notebook antenna design and their ability to perform while positioned at these 4 specific tested orientations.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 10
Test results This section provides the details of our tests comparing the wireless network performance of Compaq NC4000 verses each of the competing notebook systems with their internal or external wireless solution. Please refer to the Test methodology section of this report for complete details on how we conducted the testing.
802.11b Throughput performance testing
Receive Data Throughput Test Results The receive data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an incoming stream of network traffic from the desktop system through a wireless access point to the wireless notebook under test at distances of 60, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. In addition, we included the maximum failover distance and throughput for each wireless notebook systems. We conducted these receive tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11b module. Figure 1 shows the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance tested. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11b receive tests, we found that the Hewlett Packard NC4000 product generated the highest throughput numbers at six of these seven specific predetermined distances we tested compared to each of the other participating wireless system configurations. In addition, the Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one test distance, 6.02Mbps at both 60 and 75ft. Also, at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.88Mbps, 198% faster than its next closest competitor, the Compaq Evo N620c with the Linksys WPC11 at 1.30Mbps.
Compaq Evo N620cDell Latitude c400IBM ThinkPad T30Toshiba Protégé 4010 Compaq Evo N620c with Cisco 340Compaq Evo N620c with Linksys WPC11Compaq Evo N620c with Orinoco Gold
Figure 10: 802.11b Receive test results graph
Send Data Throughput Test Results The send data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an outgoing stream of network traffic from the wireless notebook system through a wireless access point to the desktop system at distances of 60, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. In addition, we included the maximum failover distance and throughput for each wireless notebook systems. We conducted these send tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11b module. Figure 2 shows the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11b send tests, we found that both the HP Compaq NC4000 and Compaq Evo N620c with Cisco 340 external card reported comparable and the highest throughput numbers of 5.9Mbps distances of 60, 75, and 100ft. However, the HP Compaq NC4000 product generated higher throughput numbers at 125, 150, and 200ft, namely 5.78, 4.98 and 3.14Mbps respectively. It is worth noting that at our maximum test distance of 200ft, the Compaq NC4000 and the IBM ThinkPad T30 are the only two systems to successfully complete the test iterations. In addition, at the 200ft test distance the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 3.14Mbps, 25% faster than its next closest competitor, the IBM ThinkPad T30 at 2.51Mbps.
s) HP Compaq NC4000Compaq Evo N620cDell Latitude c400IBM ThinkPad T30Toshiba Protégé 4010 Compaq Evo N620c with Cisco 340Compaq Evo N620c with Linksys WPC11Compaq Evo N620c with Orinoco Gold
Figure 12: 802.11b Send test results graph
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 13
802.11a Throughput performance testing
Receive Data Throughput Test Results The receive data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an incoming stream of network traffic from the desktop system through a wireless access point to the wireless notebook under test at a distances of 60, 75, 100, 116, 125 and 135 feet. We conducted these receive tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11a module. Figures 13 and 14 show the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11a receive tests, we found that the Compaq NC4000 product generated the highest throughput numbers at distances of 60, 75, and 100ft compared to all other products tested. The Hewlett Packard Compaq Evo N620c with the Linksys Card product generated the highest throughput numbers compared to all other products tested at a distance of 116ft with 16.07Mbps. In addition, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one distance, generating 18.48 Mbps at 75ft. It is worth noting that, the Compaq Evo N620c is the only wireless notebook solution tested to complete the test at 135ft and reported an average throughput of 5.45Mbps.
Send Data Throughput Test Results The send data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an outgoing stream of network traffic from the wireless notebook system through a wireless access point to the desktop system at distances of 60, 75, 100, 116, 125, 135 feet. We conducted these send tests using a Cisco 1200 wireless access point using its 802.11a module. Figures 15 and 16 show the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For these 802.11a send tests, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported the highest throughput at any one distance, 19.22Mbps at 60ft. In addition, at our maximum test distance of 135ft, the Compaq Evo N620c with the Netgear MAB104 Card reported an average throughput of 3.90Mbps. It was the only product we tested to establish and maintain a connection at this distance.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 16
802.11g (Draft) versus 802.11a/b using the HP Compaq NC4000 Hewlett Packard asked us to specifically focus at the performance of their 802.11g wireless solution and compare their results only to the 802.11a and 802.11b results for the HP Compaq NC4000. For these wireless performance tests, we used the same Chariot test script.
Receive Data Throughput Test Results The receive data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an incoming stream of network traffic from the desktop system through a wireless access point to the wireless notebook under test at a distances of 60, 75, 100,125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. We conducted these receive tests using a Linksys WAP54G wireless access point. In addition, we added the HP Compaq NC4000 802.11a and 802.11b receive results to the tables and graphs below to compare the performance of the three wireless protocols using the same test configuration. Figures 21 and 22 show the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance tested. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For this 802.11g tests, the HP Compaq NC4000 generated the highest receive throughput numbers at 60ft, 17.46Mbps. In addition, at its failover distance of 175ft, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 1.53Mbps. In terms of technology and wireless network protocol comparison, the HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11a reported highest overall throughputs at 60 and 75ft of 18.38 and 18.48Mbps respectively. However, we found that the range of the HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11 is limited to 116ft. The HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11g reported highest throughputs at 100 and 125ft, of 16.63 and 7.47Mbps respectively. However, we found that the range of the HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11g is limited to 175ft. The HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11b reported highest throughputs at 150, 175 and 200ft, of 4.98, 2.69 and 7.47Mbps respectively.
HP Compaq NC4000 802.11aHP Compaq NC4000 802.11gHP Compaq NC4000 802.11b
Figure 22: HP Compaq NC4000 802.11a/b/g (Draft) Receive throughput test results graph
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 17
Send Data Throughput Test Results The send data throughput testing consists of using Chariot to generate an outgoing stream of network traffic from the wireless notebook system under test through a wireless access point to the desktop system at distances of 60, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 feet. We conducted these send tests using a Linksys WAP54G wireless access point. In addition, we added the HP Compaq NC4000 802.11a and 802.11b receive results to the tables and graphs below to compare the performance of the three wireless protocols using the same test configuration. Figures 23 and 24 show the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance tested. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For this 802.11g test, the HP Compaq NC4000 generated the highest send throughput numbers at the 75ft distance with 17.13Mbps. In addition, at its failover distance of 175ft, the HP Compaq NC4000 reported an average throughput of 0.47Mbps. In terms of technology comparison and wireless network protocol comparison, the HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11a reported highest overall throughputs at 60ft, 19.22Mbps. However, we found that the range of the HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11a is limited to a range of 116ft. The HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11g reported highest throughputs at 75, 100 and 125ft, of 17.13, 13.33 and 7.02Mbps respectively. However, we found that the range of the HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11g is limited to a range of 175ft. The HP Compaq NC4000 using 802.11b reported highest throughputs at 150, 175 and 200ft, of 5.37, 3.68 and 3.88Mbps respectively.
Figure 24: HP Compaq NC4000 802.11a/b/g (Draft) Send throughput test results graph It is worth noting that the HP Compaq NC4000 provides integrated support for all 3 wireless network protocol technologies in a single wireless notebook solution. Ideally, by using these 3 wireless protocol technologies, the HP Compaq NC4000 can benefit from the combination of highest throughput available using the 802.11a and 802.11g wireless protocols while also providing increased range in terms of distance in a wireless LAN environment by the using 802.11b wireless protocol.
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 18
Wireless Orientation Data 802.11b For the wireless orientation data test, we selected the last 2 distances in which a successful Chariot iteration completed and the previous pre-selected distance for each product tested. We then conducted a series of send and receive tests using Chariot using the different distances and orientations tested for each notebook system at 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° of orientation relative to the access point. We then used the three measurements to compute an average throughput for each location that is listed in this test report. The idea of these tests is to show which wireless notebook solutions we tested has the best send and receive capability at selected orientations relative to access point. This test shows the importance of notebook antenna design and their ability to perform while positioned at these 4 specific tested orientations.
Receive Data Orientation Test Results The wireless orientation data receive throughput testing, Figures 23 and 24 show the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance tested. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For this 802.11b receive orientation test, the results show that the Hewlett Packard NC4000 product generated highest average throughput numbers, 10.20Mbps, of any of the specific distances and orientations we tested listed below compared to each of the participating wireless system configurations.
Wireless Notebooks System/ Orientation 0°
(Mbps)90°
(Mbps)180°
(Mbps)270°
(Mbps) Sum
(Mbps)Average(Mbps)
Compaq Evo N620c w/ Orinoco b card (150 ft) 2.27 1.80 0.00 1.97 23.81 5.95 Compaq Evo N620c w/ Orinoco b card (160ft) 1.96 1.84 1.85 0.00 23.41 5.85 Compaq Evo N620c Cisco b card (175 ft) 4.14 3.14 4.17 4.29 36.21 9.05 Compaq Evo N620c Cisco b card (190 ft) 1.48 2.27 2.30 1.56 28.07 7.02 Compaq Evo N620c Linksys b card (175 ft) 1.25 0.81 1.80 0.83 19.91 4.98 Compaq Evo N620c Linksys b card (200 ft) 1.30 0.60 0.56 0.61 18.30 4.57 Compaq Evo N620c(150 ft) 1.70 0.41 0.45 0.00 15.31 3.83 Compaq Evo N620c (160 ft) 0.48 0.18 0.00 0.51 13.93 3.48 Toshiba Portege 4010 (175 ft) 0.76 0.86 1.08 1.23 17.24 4.31 Toshiba Portege 4010 190 ft) 1.13 0.98 0.86 2.29 18.57 4.64 Dell Latitude C400 (150 ft) 2.48 2.52 1.75 2.34 23.66 5.92 Dell Latitude C400 (165 ft) 1.62 1.81 2.14 2.73 22.87 5.72 IBM ThinkPad T30 (175 ft) 0.96 2.34 1.67 0.80 27.67 6.92 IBM ThinkPad T30 (200 ft) 0.59 2.01 2.19 1.21 27.91 6.98 HP Compaq NC4000 (200 ft) 3.88 2.47 5.26 5.31 40.81 10.20 Figure 23: 802.11b Receive Data Orientation test results
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 19
802.11b Orientation Receive Throughput
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
N620c w /Orinoco b
card (150 ft)
N620c w /Orinoco b
card (160ft)
N620c w /cisco b card
(175 ft)
N620c w /cisco b card
(190 ft)
N620c w /Linksys b
card (175 ft)
N620c w /Linksys b
card (200 ft)
N620c(150 ft)
N620c (160 ft)
Toshiba (175 ft)
Toshiba (190 ft)
Dell C400 (150 ft)
Dell C400 (165 ft)
IBM T30 (175 ft)
IBM T30 (200 ft)
NC4000 (200 ft)
System
Th
rou
gh
pu
t (M
bp
s)
0° 90° 180° 270°
Figure 24: 802.11b Receive Data Orientation test results graph
Send Data Orientation Test Results The wireless orientation data send throughput testing, Figures 25 and 26 show the results of the testing for each wireless configuration we tested in megabits per second at each distance tested. For these tests higher throughput numbers are better. For this 802.11b send orientation, the results show that the Hewlett Packard NC4000 product generated highest average throughput numbers, 3.22Mbps, of any of the specific distances and orientation we tested listed below as compared to each of the participating wireless system configurations.
Wireless Notebooks System/ Orientation 0°
(Mbps)90°
(Mbps)180°
(Mbps)270°
(Mbps) Sum
(Mbps)Average(Mbps)
Compaq Evo N620c w/ Orinoco b card (150 ft) 1.15 1.06 0.00 1.41 3.63 0.91 Compaq Evo N620c w/ Orinoco b card (160ft) 1.16 0.89 0.77 0.00 2.82 0.70 Compaq Evo N620c Cisco b card (175 ft) 1.81 1.91 2.27 2.14 8.12 2.03 Compaq Evo N620c Cisco b card (190 ft) 0.66 0.88 1.03 0.58 3.15 0.79 Compaq Evo N620c Linksys b card (175 ft) 1.37 1.18 0.00 0.00 2.55 0.64 Compaq Evo N620c Linksys b card (200 ft) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Compaq Evo N620c(150 ft) 0.99 0.92 0.95 0.00 2.86 0.72 Compaq Evo N620c (160 ft) 1.36 0.03 0.00 1.25 2.64 0.66 Toshiba Portege 4010 (175 ft) 1.18 1.32 1.47 1.89 5.85 1.46 Toshiba Portege 4010 190 ft) 1.88 1.75 2.33 0.00 5.95 1.49 Dell Latitude C400 (150 ft) 2.44 2.47 2.08 2.23 9.22 2.30 Dell Latitude C400 (165 ft) 1.09 1.96 2.33 2.48 7.86 1.96 IBM ThinkPad T30 (175 ft) 2.78 2.75 2.99 3.33 11.86 2.96 IBM ThinkPad T30 (200 ft) 2.51 2.08 2.22 1.99 8.80 2.20 HP Compaq NC4000 (200 ft) 3.14 2.17 3.26 4.32 12.89 3.22 Figure 25: 802.11b Send Data Orientation test results
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 20
802.11b Orientation Send Throughput
0.000.501.001.502.002.503.003.504.004.505.00
N620c w /Orinoco b
card (150 ft)
N620c w /Orinoco b
card (160ft)
N620c w /cisco b card
(175 ft)
N620c w /cisco b card
(190 ft)
N620c w /Linksys b
card (175 ft)
N620c w /Linksys b
card (200 ft)
N620c(150 ft)
N620c (160 ft)
Toshiba (175 ft)
Toshiba (190 ft)
Dell C400 (150 ft)
Dell C400 (165 ft)
IBM T30 (175 ft)
IBM T30 (200 ft)
NC4000 (200 ft)
System
Th
rou
gh
pu
t (M
bp
s)
0° 90° 180° 270°
Figure 26: 802.11b Send Data Orientation test results graph
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 21
Appendix
A. Wireless Driver and Utility Disclosures
802.11b Systems Driver Name Provider
Driver Date
Driver Version Wireless Client Utility
Compaq N620c -Agere wlcom51b.sys Compaq 7/17/02 7.64.19.309 Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Utility HP Compaq NC4000 Atheros ar5211.sys Atheros 2/25/03 2.3.0.75 Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Utility
Dell Latitude D800 BCMLW5.sys Broadcom 1/9/03 3.10.39.0 TrueMobile 1400Dual Band WLAN Utility
v.3.10.39.0 IBM ThinkPad R40 a/b ar5211.sys Philips 12/17/02 2.1.10.0 Windows Wireless Zero Configuration Utility
B. Wireless Network information Test System Internet Protocol address Chariot Controller System 192.168.1.250/24 Desktop Endpoint 1 192.168.1.1/24 Wireless solution Endpoint 2 192.168.1.2/24 Wireless Access Point 192.168.1.254/24 Wireless Network Settings 128-bit WEP Key: ASCII (26 Characters) 41414141414141414141414141 128-bit WEP Key: HEX (13 Characters) AAAAAAAAAAAAA SSID 802.11a AP1200a SSID 802.11b AP1200b SSID 802.11g (draft) LinksysG Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration Utility Set to Manual and Stopped
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 22
C. System Disclosures HP Compaq NC4000 Processor / Speed / # of CPUs P4 / 1.5GHz / 1 System RAM / Type / # of Slots 228MB Motherboard Manufacturer Ali Motherboard Chipset / Model Ali / 7101 BIOS / Version / Date 68BAS / 1.12 / 3-24-2003 F.00 HD Make / Model / Size Toshiba MK6022GAX / 55GB HD Controller Ali M5229 Graphics Adapter Radeon IGP 350M Graphics Driver / Version / Date ati2mtag.sys / v6.14.01.6255 / 2-07-2003 Graphics Memory 32MB Graphics Chip Type ATI Video Resolution Assigned 1024x768 Color Depth Assigned 32bit Refresh Rate Assigned 60Hz Sound Board SoundMax NIC / Driver Wireless:HP Wlan ar5211.sys v2.3.0.8001 2/25/2003
Modem Agere Systems AC97 OEM OS Windows XP Professional
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 24
Toshiba Portege 4010 Processor / Speed / # of CPUs PIII / 933MHz / 1 System RAM / Type / # of Slots 256MB Motherboard Manufacturer Ali 7101 Motherboard Chipset / Model Ali BIOS / Version / Date 1.30 HD Make / Model / Size Hitachi IC25N030ATCS04-0 / 28GB HD Controller Ali M5229 Graphics Adapter Trident CyberBlade XP Graphics Driver / Version / Date Tridxpm.sys v5.1.2600.142 (Trident) Graphics Memory 16MB Graphics Chip Type Trident Video Resolution Assigned 1024x768 Color Depth Assigned 16bit Refresh Rate Assigned 60Hz Sound Board Ali Audio Accelerator NIC / Driver Wireless: Toshiba WLAN / wlluc48.sys v7.16.0.189
Modem Toshiba Software Modem OEM OS Windows XP Professional
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 25
Dell Latitude D800 Processor / Speed / # of CPUs P4 / 1.6GHz / 1 System RAM / Type / # of Slots 256MB Motherboard Manufacturer Intel Motherboard Chipset / Model Intel 82855PM BIOS / Version / Date A00 HD Make / Model / Size Hitachi IC25N020ATCS04-0 / 18GB
HD Controller Intel 82801DBM Ultra ATA Graphics Adapter Nvidia GeForce4 4200 Go Graphics Driver / Version / Date nv4_mini.sys v6.13.10.4256 1-24-2003 (Nvidia) Graphics Memory 32MB Graphics Chip Type Nvidia Video Resolution Assigned 1920x1200 Color Depth Assigned 32bit Refresh Rate Assigned 60Hz Sound Board Sigma Tel C-Major NIC / Driver Wireless: Dell TrueMobile 1400 / bcmwl5.sys v3.10.39.0
IBM ThinkPad R40 Dual Band Processor / Speed / # of CPUs P4M / 1.9GHz / 1 System RAM / Type / # of Slots 256MB Motherboard Manufacturer Intel Motherboard Chipset / Model Intel / 82845 BIOS / Version / Date 1.04 (10ET38WW) / 3-14-2003 HD Make / Model / Size Fujitsu MHS2020AT E / 20GB HD Controller Intel 82801DBM Ultra ATA Graphics Adapter ATI Mobility Radeon Graphics Driver / Version / Date ati2mtag.sys / 6.13.10.6215 / 11-08-2002 Graphics Memory 16MB Graphics Chip Type ATI Video Resolution Assigned 1024x768 Color Depth Assigned 16bit Refresh Rate Assigned 60Hz Sound Board SoundMax NIC / Driver Wireless NIC: ar5211.sys v2.1.10.0 12/17/2002 (Philips)
Wired NIC:e100b325.sys v6.4.14.30 11/13/2002 (Intel) Modem Agere Systems AC97 OEM OS Windows XP Professional
Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 26
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Hewlett Packard and Atheros: Wireless Network Performance Tests 27
