A straightforward method of checking for acceptable RF performance is to put the device being tested through a trial run in an RF environment with worst-case conditions. The trial run begins with the device under test connecting to an access point, then communicating with either a PC on the local network or with a remote cloud server. The communication between the device under test and its peer can be monitored for reliability and speed. To get consistent and relevant results for all devices being tested, some actions may be taken with respect to the controlling RF environment for this type of testing:

• Minimize unintentional RF congestion in the test area. This can be accomplished by turning off other nearby 2.4-GHz band devices, or performing the testing in an RF-shielded enclosure.
• Introduce controlled RF congestion. This can involve something such as having another device connected to the same access point, which transmits a steady stream of packets to the access point.
• Introduce attenuation in the antenna path for the access point, or place at a distance from the device being tested.
• Set the access point to communicate only on a specific channel, modulation, and so forth.