Full-Range Testing of a 3G/Wi-Fi Connection Management Software

Summary

A provider of wireless and cellular solutions needed its built-in 3G/Wi-Fi connection management software adapted and tested for a mobile broadband operator. The key challenge was testing the application's handover between 3G and Wi-Fi networks in real time and remotely, since a local test environment couldn't be set up. INNERLUXES delivered full-range testing — including real-time remote testing on real devices and USB dongles — enabling multiple successful custom releases.

About the Client

The end Customer is a European company providing wireless and cellular solutions for telecom operators around the globe.

The Challenge

The Customer turned to INNERLUXES for the custom adaptation of its built-in software for managing 3G/Wi-Fi connections for the subscribers of a mobile broadband operator. The challenge was to test the application's handover between 3G and Wi-Fi networks in real time and remotely, since it was impossible to set up a local test environment.

The Solution

INNERLUXES's testing team cooperated closely with the Customer's development and technical teams, delivering:

• Test design, test documentation creation and support.
• Functional and regression testing.
• Localization testing.
• Preparation of firmware builds for USB dongles.
• Remote testing.

Remote testing was crucial for the hardware- and network-dependent software. The team used remote access to computers in the target networks, handling the challenge of losing the remote connection whenever the computer on the other side lost network connectivity. Special software and hardware (USB over Ethernet) was used to test remote USB dongles on the Customer's side.

As communication with the Customer's on-site team was integral to project efficiency, INNERLUXES's testing engineers communicated directly with the Customer's technical staff, who served the test devices and traveled the area on request to change test conditions. To address a significant time-zone difference, test sessions were scheduled for as long as possible each day.

The Results

• The testing team detected and helped successfully fix significant issues with the application's security and functionality.
• Remote testing enabled by multi-channel communication allowed high-quality testing with real devices in a real network environment, with results received in real time.
• Multiple custom versions of the basic application were successfully released for mobile operators in Europe and Asia.

Technologies and Tools

Wireshark, TeamViewer, PuTTY, remote connection to a specialized USB hub, Python.