This application note demonstrates execution of the demo iPerf application available for the SAM4S
Xplained Pro evaluation kit and ATWINC15x0. The iPerf application is a tool which is used for measuring
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) bandwidth performance. This
iPerf tool is built on a client/server model and can be used to measure maximum UDP and TCP
throughput between the client and the server station.
Prerequisites
The following are the hardware and software prerequisites to test the TCP and UDP throughput using the
iPerf application for the ATWINC15x0.
Hardware Prerequisites
•ATSAM4S XPRO Board
•ATWINC15x0
•Access Point (AP)
•PC/Laptop
Software Prerequisites
•iPerf application 2.0.5 for iPerf client running on PC/Laptop
The user can run the iPerf application using the command prompt on a computer and the customized
iPerf implementation on the wireless board to measure the throughput performance. The iPerf application
contains both client and server functionality. Typically, one acts as server and the other as client, where
the iPerf application in the client side launches the test session.
The iPerf application running in the ATSAM4S XPRO board operates in the Server mode and waits to
accept the client’s connection before it initiates the bandwidth test.
1.1 SAM4S Xplained Pro
The SAM4S Xplained Pro evaluation kit is a hardware platform to evaluate the ATSAM4SD32C
microcontroller, supported by the Atmel Studio integrated development platform. The SAM4S Xplained
Pro evaluation kit is ideal for evaluation and prototyping with the SAM4S Cortex®-M4 processor-based
microcontroller. The Xplained Pro MCU series evaluation kits include an on-board Embedded Debugger,
and no external tools are necessary to program or debug the SAM4SD32C. The Xplained Pro extension
series evaluation kit offers additional peripherals to extend the features of the board and ease the
development of custom designs.
2. Creating ATWINC15x0 iPerf Project in Atmel Studio
The demo iPerf application for the SAM4S Xplained Pro with the ATWINC15x0 is available in ASF
Version 3.42 and all upcoming versions. Before creating a new iPerf project, verify the version of both the
ATWINC1500 driver and firmware being used. The ATWINC1500 firmware version needs to be equal or
higher to its driver version. The firmware upgrade details are detailed in the Appendix.
This section explains the steps for demonstrating ATWINC15x0 projects using Atmel Studio ASF example
applications.
Note: The iPerf application for SAM4S, SAMG55, SAMG53, and SAMD21 is available in ASF. In this
Application Note, iPerf application for the SAM4S is used as a reference.
1.Open Atmel Studio 7.
2.Navigate to File>New>Example Projects.
3.Search for iperf sample application for other MCU's.
4.Select the WINC1500 Iperf Example – SAM4S Xplained Pro.
Figure 2-1. Atmel Studio ATWINC1500 Project Creation
ATWINC15x0
The directory structure for iPerf application is illustrated in following figure.
To connect to the access point, the Station mode requires the Wi-Fi credentials, such as SSID and
Security type. For this demo, WPA-PSK is used as an example. The following are the steps to configure
and load the iPerf application.
1.Open the WINC1500_IPERF_SERVER_EXAMPLE1 project.
2.Configure the AP credentials; SSID and password in the iperf.h file.
Configure the AP based on the supported security methods.
To set a security type, in the iperf.h file configure IPERF_WIFI_M2M_WLAN_AUTH macro as
mentioned. The corresponding AP's SSID must be filled with IPERF_WIFI_M2M_WLAN_SSID
macro as given.