KMAX: Real-World Satellite Link Simulation

Satellite link emulation

Using KMAX as a satellite link emulator allows you to create the same real-world network conditions in your lab that your app or device is likely to encounter when actually using a satellite link.

With KMAX, you can simulate these conditions in the lab, in a controlled and repeatable manner, to completely characterize your app or device. This allows you to eliminate guesswork and deploy with confidence.

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Apps using satellites

Radio, television, telephone, internet communication, GPS and other navigation, scientific and photographic instruments are examples of applications that use satellites.

Using Satellite Link Simulation to Prevent Latency

The most common characteristic of satellites is latency. Low earth orbit satellites range from 180 to 2000 km, but geostationary satellites can be 35,786 km from the earth, or roughly 22,000 miles! That means that round trip time from the earth to the satellite and back again is about 0.24 seconds. Unfortunately, there are typically multiple round trip times for many common Internet transactions, thus the design of the app requires expertise in compression, caching, and other techniques to reduce the round trips.

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Case study: NBC Sports

NBC Sports used our network emulator to test the satellite communications link between Beijing and New York. NBC Sports required a comprehensive understanding of how well the television transmission would operate during the Olympics. For example, how would the television transmission perform with solar blanking? MPEG breakup? Rain fade? Macroblocking?

NBC Sports was able to emulate all these conditions, and characterize areas requiring improvement. They were able to mitigate, compensate and improve their television transmission before the start of the Olympics. Then, when they deployed to the live satellite, there were no surprises.

NBC’s Satellite Link Simulation Results

  • Mitigated Satellite Link Interruption Risk

  • Compensated for Any Potential Communications Interruptions

  • Improved Their Television Transmission

  • Confident Deployment

  • All Before the Olympics Start Date

 What expertise is required?

In your lab, you attach your source device to the KMAX Ethernet Interface and the destination device to another KMAX Ethernet Interface.

You select one of our "Satellite Scenarios" most closely approximating your environment. Then review and adjust the impairment parameters to fine tune it. Your source device will transmit and receive data with the destination device in exactly the same manner as if the data was carried by a satellite. You will see how well your app or device performs in the lab, before you deploy it.

You can easily modify any of the parameters. KMAX uses waveforms so that you can pace or time the onset, duration, intensity, and fall off of any of the likely impairments.

Our engineers will provide guidance and assistance for customizing the satellite simulation to meet your needs.