By Krithika Raman, Comcast India Engineering Center LLP; Charles Moreman, Comcast Cable
During the 2018 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, panelists in a “birds of a feather” RDK session introduced the concept of a “Wi-Fi Happiness Index,” abbreviated WHIX. Described as a weighted, realistic view of WiFi behavior in a home, the WHIX index may involve more than 50 parameters, and very large quantities of machine-derived data. Since then, the WHIX concept has grown in breadth and depth, and is the topic of this paper.
The paper will cover what it takes to deliver per-device WiFi metrics, normally gathered across the industry, that contribute to an aggregate / whole house WiFi health assessment; what factors shape high and low WiFi performance; algorithmic detail regarding the non-linear aspects of whole-home “happiness;” and the value of customer feedback in informing health-centered WiFi metrics.
The paper will also cover best practices that can be proactively applied to WHIX assessments, in terms of recommended next steps. For instance, in situations where the WHIX score may indicate a suboptimal WiFi experience, a series of complementary algorithms can be run to evaluate different recommendations for improving the WiFi connection. For example, an algorithm can be run to determine if Wi-Fi extender “PODs” are recommended for this WiFi network. Attendees will also learn how WiFi health assessments can be applied to triage situations, and for engineering-level troubleshooting of new software releases.