Mobisense testbed: Merging user perception and network performance

Abstract

The convergence of different commercial wireless technologies poses new opportunities for always-on connectivity and nearly ubiquitous access in Next Generation Networks (NGNs) The proposed integrated virtual access platform frees users from the fixed locations, and allows them to enjoy services while they are on the move. However, the possibility to seamlessly roam (on demand) across wireless technologies is a must in NGNs. Even though a wide body of research has been done on seamless mobility, a thorough analysis of user perception of this phenomenon is required in order to successfully design, and further improve, always-on services and mobility management solutions. This paper describes a testbed specially built to investigate the user perception of mobility in NGNs. The Mobisense testbed enables the mapping of user experience to network conditions, focusing on phenomena caused by a user roaming across diverse wireless technologies and the impact on applications and services. The Mobisense setting helps in the analysis of IP services, in particular experiments were done to study user perceived quality of Voice over IP in NGNs. This testbed allows (1) the migration of VoIP calls across heterogeneous wireless networks, (2) network application data tracking, (3) simulation of user mobility patterns, (4) and audio codec changeovers while roaming between networks.