When testing with a wireless interface, the link quality between the access point and the wireless adapter can impact test results. Some test cases are not tolerant of packet loss. Any packets dropped by the access point could lead to a test failure.
When purely testing functionality and not the reliability of the over air connection, QA Cafe recommends directly connecting the antenna of the wireless card to the access point antenna using an adapter cable with the appropriate terminations. This will greatly improve the signal strength between the wireless card and the access point and minimize the likelihood of packet loss due to a weak signal.
Example 1
If you are testing a wireless router with a RP-SMA Female antenna connector using a wireless card that also has RP-SMA Female antenna, you could directly wire the two antennas together using the following adapter cable:
Example 2
If you are testing a wireless router with a RP-TNC Female antenna connector using a wireless card with a RP-SMA Female antenna, you could directly wire the two antennas together using the following adapter cable:
Additional Information
Common Antenna Types