Overview of the ORBIT radio grid testbed for evaluation of next-generation wireless network protocols

This paper presents an overview of the ORBIT (open access research testbed for next-generation wireless networks) radio grid testbed, that is currently being developed for scalable and reproducible evaluation of next-generation wireless network protocols. The ORBIT testbed consists of an indoor radio grid emulator for controlled experimentation and an outdoor field trial network for end-user evaluations in real-world settings. The radio grid system architecture is described in further detail, including an identification of key hardware and software components. Software design considerations are discussed for the open-access radio node, and for the system-level controller that handles management and control. The process of specifying and running experiments on the ORBIT testbed is explained using simple examples. Experimental scripts and sample results are also provided.