All WiFiMon measurements are executed between the nodes in the WiFi network (fixed location or not) and the WTS. In order to capture the experience that the typical user has while using the network (e.g. surfing the web) all active WiFiMon measurements are throughput measurements based on TCP/HTTP . Because of the TCP congestion control mechanisms, the observed throughput depends a lot on the location of the WTS in the network, and the total delay (round trip time) between the monitored WiFi network and the WTS.
A TCP throughput calculator, which estimates the highest theoretical throughput between the two endpoints depending on the delay observed in the network, can be found here. In order to get throughput results which are close to the real achievable throughput on the WiFi network, it is important to install the WTS as close as possible to the tested WiFi network.
Figure 1: WTS Network Position
This configuration with a local WTS is not always possible due to physical or logistical constraints. However the WiFiMon administrator has to be aware of the implications of placing the WTS far from the monitored WiFi network. Also the WiFiMon administrator has to be aware that the obtained results do not represent a close approximation of the real network performance when the fixed delay between the WTS and WiFimon network is large. But even in such cases, relative changes in the observed metrics are still useful as an indication of the WiFi network performance.