# US 12,193,107 B2 · Multi-functional wireless link monitor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,193,107 B2 - Document ID: US12193107B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/025,466 - Filed: 2020-09-18 - Published: 2021-03-25 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-19 - Assignees: Spirent Communications, Inc. - Applicants: Spirent Communications, Inc. - Inventors: Fanny Mlinarsky; Ron Cook - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12193107B2 ## CPC - H04B 17/191: {Over-the-air testing} - H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals} - H04W 24/08: Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A wireless link monitor is configured to operate as an active client that can send and/or receive wireless traffic to and/or from wireless devices-under-test (DUTs) in the network. When the wireless link monitor operates as an active client, the DUTs can send respective wireless traffic to the wireless link monitor. This ensures that the wireless link monitor receives the wireless traffic even when the DUTs transmit their wireless signals narrowly (e.g., in adaptive beamforming technologies). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A test instrument for a wireless device-under-test (DUT), comprising: a processor; a radio in electrical communication with the processor; non-volatile memory in electrical communication with the processor, the non-volatile memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: configure the test instrument to function simultaneously as an active client that uses the radio to transmit and receive wireless traffic to and from the DUT and as an inline wireless link monitor that monitors wireless traffic by capturing wireless packets sent between the active client and the DUT; establish a wireless communication link between the active client and the DUT; and wherein the inline wireless link monitor captures and streams the wireless packets in packet capture (PCAP) or other packet format that captures packet headers and payload and applies timestamps, and wherein each test instrument has an internal clock, and the internal clocks are time-synchronized according to a time synchronization protocol; merge the streams of the wireless packets using the timestamps applied by the synchronized internal clocks; generate a plot of a wireless communication link characteristic for the DUT using the synchronized merged streams of wireless packets. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The test instrument of claim 1, wherein the active client comprises a wireless access point (AP). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The test instrument of claim 1, wherein the active client comprises a wireless station. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The test instrument of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to generate a plot of a wireless communication link characteristic. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The test instrument of claim 4, wherein the wireless communication link characteristic includes a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a data rate, a number of spatial streams, or a channel width. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The test instrument of claim 5, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to generate a plot of a physical layer characteristic of the wireless packets. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The test instrument of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link comprises a Wi-Fi wireless communication link that is compliant with IEEE 802.11. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The test instrument of claim 7, wherein the Wi-Fi wireless communication link is compliant with IEEE 802.11 ax. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The test instrument of claim 1, further comprising a common housing, wherein the processor, the radio, and the non-volatile memory are disposed in the common housing. ### Claim 10 A system for testing wireless devices, comprising: a plurality of RF-isolated chambers; and a plurality of test instruments, in network communication with each other, each test instrument disposed to monitor a respective RF-isolated chamber and comprising: a processor; a radio in electrical communication with the processor; and non-volatile memory in electrical communication with the processor, the non-volatile memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: configure the test instrument to function simultaneously as an active client that uses the radio to transmit and receive wireless traffic to and from a device-under-test (DUT) in the respective RF-isolated chamber and as an inline wireless link monitor that monitors wireless traffic by capturing wireless packets sent between the active client and the DUT; establish a wireless communication link between the active client and the DUT in the respective RF-isolated chamber; and wherein the inline wireless link monitor captures and streams the wireless packets in packet capture (PCAP) or other packet format that captures packet headers and payload and applies time stamps, and wherein each test instrument has an internal clock, and the internal clocks are time-synchronized according to a time synchronization protocol; merge the streams of the wireless packets using the timestamps applied by the synchronized internal clocks; generate a plot of a wireless communication link characteristic for the DUT using the synchronized merged streams of wireless packets. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the internal clocks of the test instruments are synchronized to an internal clock of the computer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication link characteristic includes a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a data rate, a number of spatial streams, a channel width, or a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the plot indicates a resource unit allocated for each DUT. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein each test instrument further comprises a respective common housing and the processor, radio, and non-volatile memory of each test instrument is disposed in the respective common housing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the active client of each test instrument comprises a wireless access point (AP) or a wireless station. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the time synchronization protocol comprises a clock synchronization protocol. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the clock synchronization protocol comprises a Network Time Protocol or a Precision Time Protocol. ### Claim 18 A test instrument for a wireless device-under-test (DUT), comprising: a processor; a radio in electrical communication with the processor; and non-volatile memory in electrical communication with the processor, the non-volatile memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: configure the test instrument to function simultaneously as an active client that uses the radio to transmit and receive wireless traffic to and from the DUT and as an inline wireless link monitor that monitors wireless traffic by capturing wireless packets sent between the active client and the DUT; establish a wireless communication link between the active client and the DUT, wherein the inline wireless link monitor captures and streams the wireless packets in packet capture (PCAP) or other packet format that captures packet headers and payload and applies time stamps, wherein each test instrument has an internal clock, and the internal clocks are time-synchronized according to a time synchronization protocol; merge the streams of the wireless packets using the timestamps applied by the synchronized internal clocks to provide a synchronized merged stream of wireless packets; generate a plot of a wireless communication link characteristic; and when a user selects a data point on the plot, automatically display wireless packet data that corresponds to the data point. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The test instrument of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to automatically display the wireless packet data in a new window. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The test instrument of claim 18, wherein the active client comprises a wireless access point (AP). ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The test instrument of claim 18, wherein the active client comprises a wireless station. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The test instrument of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to generate a plot of a wireless communication link characteristic. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The test instrument of claim 22, wherein the wireless communication link characteristic includes a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a data rate, a number of spatial streams, or a channel width. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The test instrument of claim 23, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to generate a plot of a physical layer characteristic of the wireless packets.