Head-to-Head Wireless Performance Evaluation Pakedge vs. Ruckus
Executive summary A reliable wireless network that is designed to meet the performance demands of today’s smart home is critical for a great customer experience. This performance report delivers a head-to-head comparison between the Pakedge WK-2 and Ruckus Wireless R600 access points (APs), testing the performance of these 802.11ac 3x3 access points within a residential smart home environment. Two performance tests were conducted: a real-world, high-client density test and a stress test with high-speed devices. Using industry-standard tools, both APs’ aggregate throughput was measured during the performance tests. In the high-client density test, the Pakedge WK-2 outperformed the Ruckus R600 by 15%. In the stress test using select, high-performance wireless devices, the Pakedge WK-2 outperformed the Ruckus R600 by 34%. Pakedge commissioned Divergent Dynamics (“DIVERGENT”) to oversee and validate all test parameters (equipment, software, configurations, and results) and the resulting report.
Key takeaways • All tests performed in a real-world residential smart home environment • In the high-client density test, Pakedge outperformed Ruckus by 15% • In the stress test, Pakedge sustained high-load performance with 34% better throughput
Real-world performance testing Residential smart home test environment Pakedge wireless solutions are designed and marketed for the residential market. Ruckus develops solutions for enterprise and commercial markets, such as small-to medium-sized businesses, hotels, restaurants, and K-12 schools. This performance report is designed to evaluate performance within a realworld residential environment. A wide variety of smart devices, including ZigBee lighting, automation, and AV streaming, were present and active during testing in order to simulate the environment of a modern smart home. All tests were conducted in the 5 GHz wireless band, the predominant band used by modern connected devices for the best performance.
Access points tested
Client devices A variety of client devices common in any smart home were used to simulate network traffic. Twenty 802.11ac client devices were selected from a variety of manufacturers, including Apple iPhones and iPads, Dell laptops, and MacBook laptops. The devices also varied in their performance capabilities, ranging from legacy to newer devices. A client device’s wireless performance depends on the number of spatial streams available to transmit and receive data. The more spatial streams a device has, the better its performance. For example, a Macbook Pro, a 3x3:3, is the fastest client device used in our testing.
Performance measurement Evaluation criteria required measuring each AP’s aggregate TCP throughput in a real-world, high-client density test and stress test with high-speed client devices. To simulate network traffic, multiple TCP uplink and downlink sessions were transmitted between the AP and the client devices simultaneously. TCP is a transport layer protocol commonly used in everyday network applications, including web browsing, email, and file transfer (Dropbox, Box, Google Drive).
Test description and results Test #1: Performance with high client density, average traffic load Description The number of devices in the smart home is growing rapidly, placing more importance on the AP’s ability to meet the performance demands of each of these devices. This test serves to measure an AP’s performance within a real-world, high-client density environment in a peak-usage scenario (all client devices concurrently in use). The access point’s aggregate throughput is measured during the transfer of TCP network traffic to and from a variety of 20 1x1, 2x2, and 3x3 802.11ac client devices simultaneously.
Results The test was run three times for 2.5 minutes each. The aggregate throughput for the three runs is included below.
Test #2: Performance stress test with high-speed client devices, heavy traffic load Description This test serves to validate the results found in Test #1 by pressure-testing each AP with the fastest client devices to ensure they receive the highest throughput possible. The access point’s aggregate throughput is measured during the transfer of TCP network traffic to and from ten high-speed clients (2x2 and 3x3 client devices only).
Results The test was run three times for 2.5 minutes each. The aggregate throughput for the three runs is included below.
Test setup and methodology Test location (residential smart home) The performance testing was performed in a residential smart home within a typical suburban neighborhood. The home is 3,500 square feet with two finished levels and one unfinished level. All testing took place in a central location of the home with an open-concept living room, a dining room, and a kitchen with tall ceilings extended to the second floor. Performance testing was completed with one access point per manufacturer, so placement of additional APs throughout the home was not required. The wireless network deployed in the home was disconnected during testing.
Test environment A variety of smart-home devices were present and intermittently in use during testing, including a Control4 automation system with ZigBee remotes, ZigBee smart lighting, Sonos (Playbar, Connect, and Play:5), several media streaming amplifiers, and smart TV. Prior to testing, the RF environment was scanned to validate the testing environment. Additional low-power 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz neighboring access points were present, which is common in residential environments.
Access point configurations All tests were conducted in the 5 GHz wireless band. During testing, the 2.4 GHz band was disabled on each AP. Both APs were configured for a single SSID on the 5 GHz radio and encrypted with WPA2-PSK. By default, channel settings for both APs are configured to auto-channel. However, to ensure the channels did not change during testing, both APs were configured to channel 36 with an 80 MHz channel bandwidth. Default transmit power levels were used for both APs (Pakedge WK-2 is 18 dBm for 5 GHz, R600 is auto for 5 GHz). All additional settings were left in default configuration.
Switch infrastructure A Pakedge SX-8P 8-Port Managed Switch provided Gigabit Ethernet with PoE+ to each AP with only one AP connected at a time. Cat 6 Ethernet cable was run from the switch to the AP.
Test software Ixia’s IxChariot was used to run the performance tests to evaluate throughput. IxChariot consists of two software applications: IxChariot Server, running on a Dell XPS i5 laptop, and the IxChariot Endpoint software application, downloaded onto every client device. The IxChariot Server was used to run the HighPerformance test script, available within IxChariot, to perform a TCP file transfer between the IxChariot Server and client devices.
Test setup
Test execution Test #1) Performance with high-client density, average traffic load
Test process The IxChariot Endpoint application was initiated on each client device. Using IxChariot Server, a High-Performance Test script was created to transmit 50 TCP sessions (40 TCP downlink and 10 TCP uplink) between the IxChariot Server and the client devices simultaneously. The TCP network traffic was sent in the following order: two TCP downlinks per device followed by one TCP uplink to every other device. The script ran two and a half minutes for a total of three runs.
Client devices In the first performance test, a mix of 20 1x1:1, 2x2:2, and 3x3:3 802.11ac client devices were used, including Apple laptops, Apple iPads, Apple iPhones, Dell laptops, and Samsung tablets. The IxChariot Endpoint software was downloaded onto each device to send and receive TCP network traffic from the IxChariot Server. A comprehensive list of the client devices used for each test are described below.
Test #2) Performance stress test with high-speed client devices, heavy traffic load
Test process Using IxChariot Server, the High-Performance Test script used in Test #1 was used to transmit 20 TCP sessions. The TCP network traffic was sent in the following order: one TCP downlink and one TCP uplink per device to ten devices. The script ran two and a half minutes for a total of three runs.
Client devices 10 high-speed client devices were selected to ensure the greatest amount of throughput could be transmitted between the AP and client devices.
Company backgrounds Pakedge, a Control4 networking brand, is a leading network manufacturer in the custom integration industry that offers a suite of network solutions, including routers, switches, access points, power distribution, and cloud-based remote management. Pakedge serves the residential market with additional presence in SMB and Pro-AV markets. As a global leader of smart home automation systems, Control4 continues to drive technology innovation through increased interoperability of home automation and networking technology.
Divergent Dynamics, Inc. (“DIVERGENT”) was founded by Devin Akin, a WLAN technology pioneer who co-founded The CWNP Program, was named to the Today’s Wireless World’s 2014 Top 100 Wireless Technology Experts list, and continues a two decade long trend of WLAN technology thought leadership through Divergent’s WiFi training classes, consulting blogs, and Twitter discussions. DIVERGENT is a visionary WiFi training provider and advanced engineering firm comprised of highly certified and experienced WiFi network architects and educators. Divergent has performed WiFi infrastructure services for some of the most prominent organizations in the world and performs innovative WiFi engineering services with a focus on health care, education, and stadium/arena markets. DIVERGENT focuses on the following services: • WiFi Network Infrastructure Design and Integration • WiFi Diagnostic, Optimization, and Compliance • WiFi Training Services DIVERGENT provides best-in-class WiFi training taught by world-renowned instructors, and holistically addresses complex, mission-critical, enterprise wireless networks.
Copyright Š2018, Control4 Corporation. All rights reserved. Control4, the Control4 logo, the 4-ball logo, BakPak, and Pakedge are registered trademarks or trademarks of Control4 Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other names and brands may be claimed as the property of their respective owners. All specifications subject to change without notice. PE-LIT-00708-EN