📡Application Note | Implementing Last Mile SD-WAN from Fusion using Fixed Wireless from RADWIN📢

In live network tests based in the field and not in a lab, Fusion Broadband has together with RADWIN completed interoperability testing. Based on location in Blackheath and Hoogland in the suburbs of Johannesburg, the testing validated the use of fixed wireless within a Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) solution.

Fusion Broadband is an IBM Beacon award winner for 2020. They received their award in the infrastructure solutions category and provides a SD-WAN solution aimed at last mile optimization. RADWIN is a global wireless provider based in Tel Aviv, Israel. (See full press release reproduced at the end of this document).

Architecture

Locations

RADWIN and Fusion Broadband installed SD-WAN solution at two sites:

• Blackheath. 100mbs Fibre link from FTTx provider and a 20mbs RADWIN fixed wireless link via an operator. The is a temporary testing installation. Code: VX68+82 Randburg

• Hoogland. 30mbs Fibre link from FTTX provider and a 10mbs RADWIN wireless link. This is a permanent production installation. Code: XX73+VJ Randburg

The CPE utilized was a standard SD-WAN Edge node from Fusion Broadband running software version 6.5. The hardware is based on x86 hardware.

The SD-WAN was installed in a hub and spoke configuration with the aggregator located at Teraco Isando in the Cool Ideas racks. The inter connections to FTTx and fixed wireless providers was via NAP Africa.

The built-in speed tests of the SD-WAN product were used which is an automated testing tool based on iperf. The tests are thus including measurement of the last mile, distribution and core network segments.

Various Internet based speed tests were used including the ones from MyBroadband, speedtest.net, fast.com and speed.cloudflare.net. The results from the MyBroadband speedtest site was used as it is located at NAP Africa. http://speedtest.co.za/

These tests validated that the SD-WAN solution was able to aggregate (also known as bonding) the fibre and fixed wireless link and provide high throughput for laptops connected to the Edge nodes.

Blackheath:

The aggregated capacity at Blackheath was 120mbs but the SD-WAN solution was able to exceed these values because of the traffic between the edge node and aggregator being compressed.

Hoogland:

The aggregated capacity at Hoogland was 40mbs where the SD-WAN solution was able to achieve 93% of this capacity. This was still a supplemental increase of 23% to the base FTTx link capacity.

This is a example of the test to Cloudflare where the base latency is higher as it is not connected directly on NAP Africa.

Capacity

Blackheath:

Fibre downlink:

Fibre uplink:

Fixed wireless downlink:

Fixed wireless uplink:

Hoogland:

Fibre downlink;

Fibre uplink:

Fixed wireless downlink:

Fixed wireless uplink:

Availability

The availability to both the Blackheath and Hoogland locations was 100% provided at least one of the links was active. Link failures were simulated by remove the relevant links Ethernet hand over from the Fusion CPE.

As an example, the downtime prevented at the Hoogland locations is as follows:

• Last week: 15 minutes (7 outages); and

• Last month: 5 hours, 48 minutes. (121 outages).

Latency

Blackheath:

Fibre: 2.2ms

Fixed wireless:15.7ms

Hoogland:

Fibre:1.9ms

Fixed wireless:17.6ms

Read the press release about the certification of RADWAN by Fusion Broadband here.

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Ronald Bartels ensures that Internet inhabiting things are connected reliably online at Fusion Broadband South Africa - the leading specialized SD-WAN provider in South Africa. Learn more about the best SD-WAN in the world: 👉 Contact Fusion