A UNIFIED REAL-TIME BENCHMARK TO EVALUATE THE PRACTICAL IMPACT OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY ON THE EDGE

This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a portable, real-time edge computing and streaming system deployed over modern wireless network technologies, including Wi-Fi 6, 4G LTE, and 5G. Built around a high-demand critical service use case, the system benchmarks the practical performance limits of compact, off-the-shelf hardware in realistic operating conditions. By varying processing platforms, communication channels, and application parameters, this study monitors both application-level performance and the state of the underlying network in real time.

The primary contribution of this work is the development of a benchmarking framework that quantifies how well consumer-grade edge devices meet the stringent requirements of critical infrastructure applications such as those in automation, manufacturing, and security. The system captures live sensor data, applies task-specific processing, streams the resulting media across a network link, and logs performance metrics including bitrate, latency, and frame rate. Simultaneously, it observes key link-layer indicators such as signal strength and noise levels.

A secondary but significant contribution is the characterization of how network conditions directly influence the performance of delay- and bandwidth-sensitive applications. For example, experiments with a 5G mmWave channel revealed that even minor increases in signal attenuation can cause substantial degradation in streaming bitrate and delay. These findings provide actionable insight into the design constraints and expectations for wireless deployment of critical services.

Additional contributions include improvements to system performance through the refinement of streaming protocols and compression techniques. These optimizations further enhance the system’s ability to reflect real-world usage scenarios and make the findings more generalizable.

In summary, this thesis offers a practical and reproducible approach to benchmarking edge computing systems under real-world conditions, providing valuable guidance for engineers and researchers developing next-generation networked applications for critical infrastructure.