Making the best of two worlds: a framework for hybrid experiments

In this paper we present the design and implementation of a framework for hybrid experiments that integrates a real-world wireless testbed with a wireless network emulation testbed. The real-world component of the framework, that we call "physical realm", can be used for those experiment aspects that are difficult to perform through emulation, such as real-life communication conditions under the effect of perturbations and weather conditions. Correspondingly, the emulated part of the framework, that we call "emulated realm", can be used for those characteristics that are difficult to address in the real world, such as technologies that are not yet available, large-scale mobility, or for reasons of financial cost. The paper includes a series of proof-of-concept experiments that demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique.