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Monitoring RF Throughput

 

Network throughput is the average rate of successful message delivery over a communication channel. The larger the channel capacity or bandwidth, the greater the potential throughput. There are also factors that reduce WLAN throughput, such as:

  • Network load and congestion

  • Encryption

  • Transmission error correction and packet retransmission of a given packet

  • Quality of Service priority settings

  • Configuration of the WLAN Service profiles and Radio profiles in use

  • Building construction, internal walls and floors, metallic objects

  • Mobile clients

  • Overhead in the WLAN itself (Layer 2 and below) and overhead in network protocols

  • Interference from nearby transmitters using the same frequency

Network Director tracks and monitors the throughput of wireless data for the following wireless objects:

  • An access point

  • A radio

  • An entire site

  • A building

  • A floor of a building

  • A wiring closet

Note

Unlike access points and radios, which appear on the list automatically, sites, buildings, floors and wiring closets must be configured by you.

To view throughput over a fixed period of time for a selected object:

  1. Select Monitor Mode in the Network Director banner.
  2. Select any view from the View pane.
  3. Expand the list in the View pane, and then select one of the objects listed in Table 1:

    Table 1: Objects in the View Pane With Throughput Data

    Icon

    Object

    Individual radio

    Individual access point

    Site—Selecting a site in logical view displays all access points on that site—to create a site, see Creating a Site.

    Building—Selecting a building in logical view displays all access points in that floor—to create a building, see Configuring Buildings.

    Floor—Selecting a floor in logical view displays all access points on that floor—to create a floor, see Configuring Floors.

    The Monitor mode RF tab becomes available when you select any of the objects listed in Table 1 .

  4. Click the Monitor mode RF tab to view the RF monitors, which includes the RF Throughput or Packet Throughput monitor.

    The populated RF Throughput or Packet Throughput monitor opens, displaying the throughput that the selected object has experienced over the last hour.

  5. Optionally, change the timeframe covered by the monitor by selecting a different time from the list.
  6. Optionally, select which SSID to monitor from the Choose SSID list.
  7. Click Help (?) for help interpreting the throughput chart or refer to RF Throughput or Packet Throughput Level Monitor.
Note

To change the polling interval for monitors, see Setting Up User and System Preferences.

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