Design, planning and establishing of a remote laboratory for wireless networks and technologies

The advances in the telecommunication and computer sciences have led to the emerging of several new technologies and concepts for networking and for connecting people and devices. One of these new opportunities is the possibility to access and use computers and equipment remotely. This paradigm can be used for many different purposes - from education and research to management and business tasks. With the increased need for remote access technologies, the establishment of remote access networks is also on the rise. Such networks provide the possibility to establish remote and virtual laboratories, which can be accessed from the Internet. The goal of the virtual laboratories is to provide users with software that simulates and emulates real networks, devices and equipment. This type of laboratories enables the students to practice their skills before using real equipment. Remote laboratories, on the other hand, provide a virtual interface to a real devices. The remote access laboratories are providing the students with a realistic view of the system behavior and are allowing them access to professional tools from anywhere and whenever they need. With the help of the remote laboratories, institutions without access to professional equipment, can run experiments and access specific tools from any location. In this paper we will investigate the process of establishing and using one such remote access laboratory - a laboratory for wireless networks and technologies. The lab setup consists of a remotely accessed computer, a wireless spectrum analyzer and a signal generator. This set of devices provides possibilities for analysis of various modulation techniques, as well as other specific characteristics of the wireless communication systems and devices. In order to extend the functionality of the laboratory set of wireless routers and a group of wireless sensor nodes is added. The wireless routers would provide the possibility to study one of the most widely used family of communication standards - the IEEE 802.11. The wireless sensor networks are currently also very attractive as a research area and are becoming even more widely used. The set of wireless sensor devices will further increase the capabilities of the laboratory and will provide the possibility for remote experimenting with their communication and data routing protocols.