GL enhances standalone probe for voice, data, and video test
GL Communications Inc. announced today an enhanced standalone automated voice, data, and video testing probe, called the VQuad Probe. Robert Bichefsky, a senior manager for product development at the company, said, “GL’s VQuad Probe is an all-in-one self-contained probe supporting multiple physical interfaces for connecting to practically any wired or wireless network while automatically performing voice, data, and video testing. This comprehensive hardware device incorporates all the features of the current VQuad,” such as portability and remote accessibility while adding the stand-alone functionality. “The Probe is designed to be configured remotely and left unattended onsite for automated testing while sending events/results to the central database,” he added.
The VQuad Probe is compact, measuring, 8.3” x 7.4” x 3”, so it is unobtrusive when left onsite or running in a lab. “There is a Dual UTA within the VQuad Probe, which supports up to two independent tests or a single bi-directional test,” Bichefsky said. “Up to three additional Dual UTAs can be connected to the VQuad Probe, via USB, for a maximum capacity of eight independent devices.”
The VQuad Probe is configured for remote control access via Ethernet, so a mouse/keyboard is not required. Additional accessibility is available using an optional touchscreen monitor.
Bichefsky added, “The VQuad Probe can be used for intrusive voice quality testing, using the POLQA (ITU-P.863) or PESQ (ITU-P.862) algorithms. Using any of the supported interfaces, after a connection is established, the VQuad Probe can send audio in one direction while recording audio in the opposite direction. The recorded audio files are transferred to the GL VQT software for analysis against POLQA or PESQ. All results, including MOS, signal/noise level, gain, and jitter, are transferred to the central database. The GL’s VQT solution is fully automated and can be remotely controlled via CLI. A single instance of VQT, located at a central system, can support all VQuad Probes within the network”—with no need to purchase multiple instances of VQT).
He added, “VQuad NetTest, for testing/analyzing data communication within any network, supports testing directly from the VQuad Probe as well as testing from any mobile device (requires free downloadable app for Android and iOS).” In addition, he said, “Video conference testing, using the GL Video Application Controller (VAC), was recently added to the VQuad solution.”
