Network testing

Network testing shows what a client actually gets, not just what is on the air.

What you need

• Join Network: a connected Linux sensor with a radio that can run in client mode. iPhone, iPad and Android.
• Cellular: a GL.iNet router with a cellular modem, such as a Mudi, added in Devices with root SSH. A SIM is optional. iPhone, iPad and Android.
• Phone Wi-Fi: no sensor needed. On iPhone it needs the Shortcuts app.
• Wi-Fi RTT: Android only. It needs Android 9 or later, a phone with 802.11mc RTT hardware, and RTT-capable access points.
• Path & Multipath: iPhone and iPad only.

How to test a network as a client with Join Network

1. Connect a sensor in Devices.
2. Open More › Join Network (iPhone and Android).
3. Under Interface, pick the radio.
4. Tap Scan for Networks. Under Networks in Range, tap a network. The app reads the security type from the scan.
5. Under Network, check the SSID and Security. Enter the passphrase, or for Enterprise choose the EAP Method (PEAP or TTLS) and enter the Identity and Password.
6. If needed, open Advanced. There you can pin a BSSID (optional), set a Country code (optional), or turn off Request a DHCP address.
7. Read Before You Join. It lists any interfaces the join will bring down. It also warns you if a capture on the same radio will lose its channel.
8. Tap Join Network. A join can take about 70 seconds: up to 45 to associate, then up to 25 for DHCP.
9. When it works, the connection card shows the SSID, Signal, BSSID, IP Address and Supplicant state. For Wi-Fi 7 links it also shows Multi-Link Operation.
10. Tap Disconnect when you are done.

The passphrase goes to the sensor for that join only and is never saved. If the supplicant has not reached COMPLETED, keying has not finished and the link is not usable yet.

How to run the cellular tests

1. Connect to the GL.iNet router's Wi-Fi, USB or Ethernet. Add it in Devices (iPhone suggests 192.168.8.1 with user root) and connect.
2. Open Cellular. On iPhone it is a tab in the expanded tab bar. On Android, it is in the expanded bottom bar or under More › Cellular.
3. Under GL.iNet cellular modem, tap Check modem and bands. You should see the LTE and NR bands the modem reports.
4. Under Scan bands, choose All bands, Fast survey (iPhone) / Adaptive discovery (Android), CBRS B48 / n48 or Custom bands.
5. Optionally turn on Repeat scans, then tap Scan now. A full scan can take several minutes. Tap Stop after current scan to finish.
6. Read Latest scan: band, operator code, channel, PCI, RSRP and RSRQ for each cell.
7. Export with Save native JSON and both CSV formats (iPhone) or Save JSON and both CSV formats (Android).

A scan may interrupt the modem's cellular data while a SIM is active. To record cells against a floor plan or route, use Survey.

How to watch the phone's own Wi-Fi

iPhone:

1. Tap the Wi-Fi tab. The screen is titled iOS Wi-Fi.
2. Under Current Connection, see the network the phone is on.
3. In Wi-Fi Details, tap Install the first time to add the streaming Shortcut. Then tap Start.
4. When iOS asks to share Wi-Fi and cellular details, choose Always Allow. Allow Once asks again on every reading.
5. While it streams, you see live RSSI, channel, SNR, noise, TX/RX rate and Wi-Fi standard. Connection changes appear in the Event Timeline. Tap Stop to end the stream.

Android: open More › Phone WiFi. Connection Details shows SSID, BSSID, signal, channel, band, link speeds, Wi-Fi generation and IP address. Signal History and Recent Events update as you move.

How to range with Wi-Fi RTT (Android)

1. Open WiFi RTT from the expanded bottom bar, or More › WiFi RTT.
2. Grant location permission. Ranging starts by itself and stops when you leave the screen.
3. Each responding AP shows its distance, RSSI, spread (Avg σ), Success count and channel. Where an AP publishes it, you also see location data such as altitude and floor.
4. If the screen reports WiFi scan throttling is enabled, tap the notice and turn throttling off in Developer Options.

With an ESP32-C5 running FTM firmware, open 802.11mc · ESP32-C5 › Set up. Enter the Responder BSSID and Primary channel, then tap Measure.

How to test path changes with Path & Multipath (iPhone)

1. Open More › Path & Multipath.
2. Tap Start stream to add live phone RSSI, channel and SNR. This uses the same Shortcut as the Wi-Fi tab.
3. Live path shows the current network path as iOS reports it.
4. Under Connectivity Assist stress, pick a Stress target and tap Start stress. This generates HTTPS traffic while the app records path changes. Turn Connectivity Assist on in iOS Settings › Wi-Fi, then weaken the Wi-Fi.
5. Under Multipath TCP lab, pick a Target and MPTCP mode (None (TCP control), Handover, Interactive or Aggregate), then tap Run multipath probe.
6. Optionally, with a capture sensor connected, tap Start pcapng. Use Export JSON to keep results.

Connectivity Assist is inferred from path changes. Apple does not expose an Assist API.

How to test from the sensor's website

Manual iPerf3 and xfr listeners bind one IPv4 interface and stop after fifteen minutes. Autostart is opt-in. Managed speed tests pause Orb monitoring, then restore it. Unified 2.1.36 includes Orb, which is off on a fresh install. See the device website.

Tips

• The browser LAN test is not an Internet speed test. With every result, record the client connection, server interface, endpoint, duration and load. USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi can each be the bottleneck.

If it doesn't work

Related

Surveys · Device website · Connect a sensor · Unified image