Hardware in loop network simulators — An insight overview

Abstract

Network simulation is a method of using software or a tool which can be used to mimic the network conditions that exist in pre-defined places. This kind of simulation allows the developers, designers, researchers and the network planners to intelligently plan, design, develop and test their applications or research work in changing network conditions. With varying network conditions either because of wireless nature or because of user mobility, it is very difficult to simulate the exact network conditions with the existing network simulators. These network simulators are flexible, re-usable and reliable. But they have a limitation of not being able to replicate the actual network conditions in the laboratories. This calls for a system in the loop or hardware in the loop concept to be extended to the network simulators. The idea of system in the loop is not new. In this paper, an overview with the fundamental understanding of the hardware-in-loop concept for network simulators, their applications and a review of the existing hardware-in-loop network simulators with their advantages and disadvantages is presented.