Wi-Fi Architect (Broadband CPE & Wireless Testing) | CompNova | Philadelphia, PA, USA

Tech Junction Ltd; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

CompNova in Philadelphia seeks an experienced Wi‑Fi Architect to lead advanced wireless testing of broadband CPE, gateways, routers, and mesh extenders. You will drive validation, performance optimization, and issue reproduction across real‑world deployments.

You will collaborate with software and network teams, analyze captures with Wireshark and other tools, and contribute to regression testing. The role requires deep knowledge of Wi‑Fi protocols and broadband architectures, plus strong

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of IEEE 802.11 wireless standards (Wi‑Fi 4/5/6).
• Experience testing broadband gateways, routers, and mesh systems.
• Hands-on with packet analysis and performance optimization.
• Proficient in Linux-based embedded systems and networking platforms.
• Excellent documentation and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead exploratory wireless testing across gateways, routers and extenders.
• Validate SSID, security settings, and network management features.
• Perform throughput, latency, and stability testing.
• Analyze logs and captures to support root-cause investigation.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to reproduce field issues.
• Document defects with clear reproduction steps.

Skills

Wi‑Fi testing

Exploratory testing

Broadband CPE

Mesh networking

Performance validation

Packet analysis

Linux embedded systems

Tools

Wireshark

tcpdump

iPerf

Job description

Job Title: Wi‑Fi Architect (Broadband CPE & Wireless Testing) | CompNova | Philadelphia, PA, USA

Recruiting Company: CompNova

Job Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Job Type: Contract (C2C Open)

Industry: Telecommunications | Broadband | Wireless Networking

Employment Type: Contract-to-Contract (C2C)

Technology Focus: Wi‑Fi 4/5/6, Broadband Gateways, Routers, Mesh Networks, Wireless Performance Validation

Position Summary

CompNova is seeking an experienced Wi‑Fi Architect to lead advanced wireless testing, validation, and quality assurance initiatives for broadband customer premises equipment (CPE) including gateways, routers, and mesh extenders. This role is ideal for a wireless networking expert with deep knowledge of Wi‑Fi technologies, broadband architectures, investigative testing methodologies, and performance optimization across real‑world deployment environments.

Detailed Job Description

As a Wi‑Fi Architect, you will be responsible for evaluating and validating next‑generation Wi‑Fi solutions across a wide range of broadband devices and customer scenarios. The role involves exploratory testing, performance validation, troubleshooting, and analysis of complex wireless networking environments to ensure product reliability, stability, and customer satisfaction. You will work closely with software developers, network architects, product managers, and engineering teams to identify defects, reproduce customer issues, and improve wireless performance. The successful candidate will possess strong expertise in Wi‑Fi protocols, mesh networking, traffic analysis, and broadband technologies, while bringing a proactive, investigative approach to quality engineering and wireless solution validation.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform exploratory and investigative testing of Wi‑Fi features across gateways, routers, mesh systems, and extenders.
• Validate wireless functionality including SSID creation, security configuration, and network management features.
• Test WPA2, WPA3, WPS, authentication mechanisms, and wireless security implementations.
• Evaluate band steering, client steering, mesh networking behavior, and multi‑access point scenarios.
• Validate roaming, handoff efficiency, and seamless connectivity across distributed wireless environments.
• Conduct real‑world testing using multiple client devices including smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, IoT devices, and tablets.
• Simulate dense‑client environments, interference conditions, and channel congestion scenarios.
• Identify intermittent defects, edge cases, race conditions, and complex customer‑impacting issues.
• Perform wireless performance testing including throughput, latency, packet loss, and stability analysis.
• Execute long‑duration soak testing and stress testing activities.
• Analyze logs, packet captures, traces, and diagnostic information to support root cause analysis.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to reproduce field issues and improve system reliability.
• Document detailed defects, observations, reproduction steps, and technical findings.
• Contribute to regression testing and validation activities when required.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Strong understanding of IEEE 802.11 wireless standards including 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Wi‑Fi 4, Wi‑Fi 5, and Wi‑Fi 6).
• Solid knowledge of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz wireless technologies and spectrum fundamentals.
• Hands‑on experience testing broadband gateways, residential routers, mesh systems, and wireless extenders.
• Strong understanding of wireless network architecture, RF behavior, and performance optimization.
• Experience working with Linux‑based embedded systems and networking platforms.
• Hands‑on experience with network troubleshooting and packet analysis tools.
• Proficiency using Wireshark, tcpdump, iPerf, and Wi‑Fi analysis applications.
• Experience performing performance, scalability, stability, and connectivity testing.
• Ability to analyze packet captures, system logs, and diagnostic traces.
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
• Experience collaborating with development, architecture, and product teams.
• Excellent communication and technical documentation skills.

Nice‑to‑Have Skills

• Experience with DOCSIS broadband environments and cable network technologies.
• Knowledge of Wi‑Fi 6E and emerging Wi‑Fi 7 standards.
• Experience with automated test development and wireless test frameworks.
• Familiarity with cloud‑managed networking platforms and device management systems.
• Certifications such as CWNA, CWSP, CWAP, Cisco Wireless, or equivalent wireless networking credentials.

Recruitment Pro Tip

For Wi‑Fi Architect positions, employers place significant value on candidates who can demonstrate hands‑on debugging of complex wireless issues. Ensure your resume highlights specific Wi‑Fi performance investigations, mesh networking projects, roaming optimization work, packet‑capture analysis, and measurable improvements in throughput, stability, customer experience, or wireless reliability across large‑scale broadband deployments.