This is the record of the testing done on the AP using the LANforge.
Inside the anechoic chamber, the LANforge (eth1) is connected to the AP under test via a LAN cable.
I set up 4 virtual stations in the LANforge, with the same SSID as the AP. This results in a loop that allows the LANforge to measure the throughputs of the various streams. The stations are named:
STA-1-BK (background)
STA-2-BE (best effort)
STA-3-VI (video)
STA-4-VO (voice)
I configure 1 uplink stream per station. Each stream is set as 10 Mbps UDP. Notice that the streams are in an increasing order of priority.
Tests are conducted when WMM is disabled, and the same tests are conducted when WMM is enabled.
The test procedure is as follows:
STA-1 starts transmitting.
Then STA-i starts transmitting at time (i-1)*30 s.
I found that the video and voice streams are not able to achieve the desired 10 Mbps, when WMM is disabled.
Next, WMM is enabled.
When WMM is enabled, the QoS priority of the data streams are taken into account. When the video or voice streams are turned on, they maintain the constant desired throughput, while the background and best effort streams are starved of throughput.
Also, when WMM is enabled, only the background and best effort streams shows large latency. The video and voice streams have very little latency.
Therefore, it can be seen that the WMM feature is working in AP under test.
Reference:
Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM)
www.uniroma2.it/didattica/TPI2/deposito/wmm.pdf
In the scenario you describe, you should definitely be looking at multiple access points, preferrably dual band APs.
While coverage may be sufficient, coverage alone is no longer the primary consideration when deploying a wirelss network. Client capacity, channel utilization, signal quality, and reliability are much more important and multiple access points will help with all of these.
By using 3 (or more) APs on multiple channels (1, 6, and 11), you will in effect triple the amount of airtime (bandwidth) available on your wireless network.
Additionally, proper placement of the APs will provide clients a closer AP with stronger signal, which will be more resistant to noise in the RF environment. This will allow better signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios which will translate to the use of higher data rates and this results in more data transmitted per "timeslot".
I would recommend placing them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way from the center to the perimeter, spaced roughly evenly. Try to get them in or as close to the highest user denisity locations as possible (i.e. conference rooms, etc).
Finally, the additional access points will provide increased reliability. With a single access point, if it were to fail or reboot for any reason, this would create a disruption in service. Having multiple access points should allow for coverage to overlap, allowing service to remain (if degraded) when you have an access point down.
Best Answer
Your order seems ok, but keep in mind there is more to the Radio Resource Managment (RRM) algorithm than just 'neighbors on same channel'. More specifically, if it is determined that other channels in the area are 'busier' or 'noisier' RF-wise, it may be decided to remain on that same channel as your tester.
Assuming a clean RF environment however, I don't see anything wrong with that test.