NetSim Academic v15.0(2026 Release)
Last updated: April, 2026
NetSim Academic is an economical option for educational customers intending to use NetSim for lab experimentation and teaching. Looking at doing Network R & D? then NetSim Standard is the product you should explore. The version comparison table shows the features available in the different versions of NetSim.
5 Reasons Why You Need NetSim Academic
NetSim saves hundreds of hours in setup, scripting, and data parsing, maximizaing the time available for genuine learning, experimentation, and discovery.
| Feature | NetSim Academic | Open Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lab Setup | GUI-based, drag-and-drop. Dozens of pre-configured experiments ready to run. | Requires C/Python scripting. Every scenario must be manually coded and configured. |
| Learning Curve | The intuituve interface allows immediate focus on networking concepts from day one. | Students spend significant time learning the tool's API and environment before analyzing networks. |
| Visualization | Built-in packet animator and dynamic plots provide real-time insight into network behavior. | Requires external tools (e.g., NetAnim) and often complex post-processing scripts for visualization. |
| Result Analysis | Comprehensive, auto-generated results dashboard with sortable tables and exportable graphs. | Generates text-based trace files requiring custom scripts (awk, Python) to parse and analyze. |
| Documentation | Integrated, professionaly written experiment manuals with theory, procedure, and sample results. | Relies on community-managed wikis and documentation; quality and completeness vary. |
Gaps in Traditional Network Education
Abstract Concepts are Hard to Grasp
Protocols like TCP congestion control or routing algorithms like OSPF are difficult for students to visualize from textbooks alone. Understanding their dynamic behavior requires more than static diagrams.
Lab Setup is a Barrier to Learning
Physical labs are expensive, difficult to scale, and inflexible for 'what-if' scenarios. Setting up open-source tools like ns-3 requires significant C++ or Python scripting, consuming valuable lab time that should be spent on learning core concepts.
Network Behavior is Invisible
Without the right tools, it's challenging to 'see' a network in action. Students can't easily trace a single packet's journey, observe a routing table converge, or pinpoint the cause of performance bottlenecks.
Modern Network Education
Accelerate Learning
With a vast library of pre-built, curriculum-aligned experiments, students can immediately dive into simulating and analyzing protocols, not wrestling with complex setup and scripting.
Visualize & Understand
Go beyond theory with an intuitive GUI, built-in packet animation, and dynamic plots. Make abstract network behavior tangible and easy to comprehend.
Comprehensive & Current
Cover your entire curriculum, from foundational internetworking and routing to modern Wireless, IoT, and LTE networks, all within a single, integrated platform.
Technologies Supported
The simulation technologies supported in NetSim Academic version are
- Aloha, Slotted Aloha
- Ethernet, Switching
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/p
- RF propagation - Pathloss, fading and shadowing
- Routing: RIP, OSPF
- Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): Old Tahoe, Tahoe, Reno, New Reno, BIC, CUBIC, SACK, Window Scaling
- User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
- VLAN, Firewalls and Access Control Lists, NAT
- MANET with DSR, AODV, ZRP and OLSRv1 (RFC 3626), OLSRv2 (RFC 7181)
- Software Defined Networks (SDN)
- GSM & CDMA
- Internet of things (IoT) with RPL protocol, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN)
- LR-WPAN 802.15.4
- Cognitive Radio - 802.22
- Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced
- Traffic Generator – CBR, Voice, Video, FTP, Database, HTTP, Email, Database
- Virtual Network Stack, Simulation Kernel, Command Line Interface,
- Metrics Engine with Packet Trace, Radio Measurements and Plot Generator
35+ inbuilt labs, per the curricula of top universities, across a range of technologies
Each of these example labs come with documentation with sections on Motivation, Theory, Network Set-up, Results and Discussion.
Introduction to Networking and Network Simulation
- Introduction to NetSim (PDF, HTML)
- Understand the events involved in NetSim DES (Discrete Event Simulation) in the flow of one packet from a Wired node to a Wireless node (PDF, HTML)
- Understand the working of basic networking commands: Ping, Route Add/Delete/Print, ACL (PDF, HTML)
- Characteristic curve of throughput versus offered load for a Pure and Slotted ALOHA system (PDF, HTML)
Network Performance
- Data traffic types and network performance measures (PDF, HTML)
- Simulating Link Failure (PDF, HTML)
- Throughput and Bottleneck Server Analysis (PDF, HTML)
- Delay and Littles Law (PDF, HTML)
Routing & Switching
- The OSPF weight setting problem and the performance comparison of the OSPF vs. RIP (PDF, HTML)
- Understand the working of OSPF (PDF, HTML)
- The M/D/1 Queue (PDF, HTML)
- Understand working of ARP, and IP forwarding within a LAN and across a router (PDF, HTML)
- Simulate and study the spanning tree protocol (PDF, HTML)
- Understand VLAN operation in L2 and L3 Switches (PDF, HTML)
- Understand Access and Trunk Links in VLANs (PDF, HTML)
- Understand Public IP Address & NAT (Network Address Translation) (PDF, HTML)
Transmission control protocol (TCP)
- Introduction to TCP connection management (PDF, HTML)
- Reliable data transfer with TCP (PDF, HTML)
- Mathematical Modelling of TCP Throughput Performance ( PDF, HTML)
- TCP Congestion Control Algorithms (PDF, HTML)
- Understand the working of TCP BIC Congestion control algorithm, simulate and plot the TCP congestion window (PDF, HTML)
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11
- Wi-Fi: Throughput variation with distance (PDF, HTML)
- WiFi: UDP Download Throughput (PDF, HTML)
- How many downloads can a Wi-Fi access point simultaneously handle? (PDF, HTML)
- Multi-AP Wi-Fi Networks: Channel Allocation (PDF, HTML)
- Wi-Fi Multimedia Extension (IEEE 802.11 EDCA) (PDF, HTML)
Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Networks
- One Hop IoT Network over IEEE 802.15.4 (PDF, HTML)
- IoT – Multi-Hop Sensor-Sink Path (PDF, HTML)
- Performance Evaluation of a Star Topology IoT Network (PDF, HTML)
- Study the 802.15.4 Superframe Structure and analyze the effect of Superframe order on throughput (PDF, HTML)
Radio Propagation
Mobile Ad hoc Networks
4G LTE
- LTE Handover (PDF, HTML)
- Impact of Interference in 4G Networks (PDF, HTML)
- Understanding the Impact of MAC Scheduling algorithms on throughput, in a multi- UE scenario (PDF, HTML)
5G (Available only with NetSim Standard version)
- 5G MIMO and Beamforming: A start with MISO and SIMO (PDF, HTML)
- Throughput and fairness of 5G scheduling algorithms in a complex network environment (PDF, HTML)
- Understanding of 5G NR PHY (PDF, HTML)
- Understanding of 5G NR (3GPP) pathloss models (PDF, HTML)
- 5G Numrologies and their impact on end to end latencies (PDF, HTML)
- Performance of OFDMA SU MIMO in 5G (PDF, HTML)
- MIMO Communication: Channel Matrix Asymptotic-Analysis (PDF, HTML)