Unified (One)Wi-Fi is an 802.11 protocol stack designed for the configuration, statistics, steering, and telemetry of Wi-Fi driver and basebands. It has been architected based on years of experience addressing field and deployment challenges. The implementation is largely generic due to the use of open-source modules (hostap) and Linux libraries (netlink, cfg80211), enabling the stack to operate seamlessly across multiple Wi-Fi chipsets and ensuring easy portability to new devices. The stack supports various management protocols, including WebConfig, TR-181, WFA Data Elements, and TR-181 USP. Additionally, it also supports wide range of Wi-Fi applications, such as motion detection, device typing, connection admission control, and EasyMesh.
OneWifi provides significant advantages for adopters, in addition to its extensive feature set.
OneWifi is primarily built using open-source code that has been widely deployed at scale. This code has been thoroughly vetted for various use cases, resulting in fewer new defects. Additionally, any existing issues are well-documented, with fixes readily available.
Faster End-to-End Feature Development
The OneWifi codebase is largely generic, with platform-specific differences abstracted by a limited set of HAL functions. This allows for rapid feature development, as common business logic is shared across platforms. New features can be developed on one platform and quickly tested on others.
Accelerated Triage and Field Defect Debugging
OneWifi includes robust logging and real-time event visualization capabilities. In addition to informative log files that are periodically uploaded to the cloud, there are several methods for triaging and debugging field issues.
Module-Specific Debugging
Detailed debugging of specific OneWifi modules can be enabled by creating corresponding tokens in the /tmp directory (e.g., touch /tmp/<token_name>).
Note: Once debugging is complete, the token must be removed from the /tmp directory to restore normal system operation.
Real-Time Events Visualization
OneWifi automatically logs key real-time events to /rdklogs/logs/wifiAnalytics.txt in UML format. This file can be processed by any UML reader to visualize event transfers in real time. This feature is particularly useful for diagnosing client-device-specific connection issues or related problems.
OneWifi utilizes native Linux libraries to interact with lower-layer Wi-Fi drivers. These interactions are based on the cfg80211 and mac80211 specifications, which are supported in most Linux distributions through netlink library functions. If the System on Chip (SoC) vendor’s driver is compliant with cfg80211 and mac80211, OneWifi can typically run on the new SoC with minimal porting effort required for the Wi-Fi HAL functionality.
