To measure, design, and plan a wifi network is known as a wifi site survey. The wifi site survey helps in giving solutions for network coverage intensity strength, roaming, and QoS. The new network designs and existing networks need to be upgraded. There are many types of wifi site surveys active, passive, and predictive.
What Types of Survey Is Needed for Wireless Sites?
There are three types of wireless site surveys: passive, active, and predictive. WLAN parameters like signal strength and RF interference are reported via passive surveys. Active surveys evaluate network and device performance following installation. IT professionals use predictive surveys to make sure the correct amount of access points (APs) are positioned for optimal connection. “Armchair surveys,” or remote surveys, have certain uses. For practical help, it is advised to speak with a firm.
Conduction of wireless site survey
Nearly all site surveys followed the same process. The duration of the site survey is 2 to 3 weeks to complete, depending on the size, location, and difficulty of the project.
Initial meeting with a client
The first step in the survey is meeting with the client and reviewing the location and main purpose of the survey. User requirement is the priority of this meeting.
Preparation
The second step is to add the floor plan to the site survey software and specify certain criteria. These criteria include access points Expectations for network use, and site-specific data,
Acquiring Access to the network controller
Before performing a site walk, the wireless network engineer may quickly identify and resolve particular issues by acquiring access to the network controller, This makes it easier to analyze network performance in detail.
Site walk
After acquiring access to the network controller the next step is the site walk. The Engineer performed a site walk of the location, gathered RF measurements, and wrote and took pictures of areas of interest. This process maximum takes time of 2 to 3 days depending on the site location. After a site survey, the engineer creates a comprehensive report of the survey.
Survey Report
The survey report includes
• Utilizes the selected access point concept
• Represents attenuation’s in signal intensity by drawing the actual surroundings on the floor layout.
• It takes a lot of time because you have to pay attention to every little detail.
• Performs in-depth setup and location analysis of access points.
• For difficult cases, processing times are up to 10 business days.
Client’s Review
The report will be shared with the client the engineer defines the structure of the report, its findings interference in-network coverage, all dead zones, and possible solutions that how can you make your network more powerful, efficient, and reliable. Conducting a wireless site survey is crucial for avoiding potential changes and corrections.
Validation Survey
Once a network has been built or repaired, a network technician validates the configuration by the report’s suggestions. To perform a site walk, the technician needs access to the location. They transfer data into software and produce a report. The report provides a PASS grade for proper setup and ranks networks according to the findings of the initial WiFi site assessment.
What Recommendations are Available from Site Surveys?
Site surveys provide recommendations to optimize the performance, coverage, and security of a wireless network. These recommendations are tailored to address specific issues identified during the survey. Common types of recommendations include access point placement, channel assignment and configuration, antenna selection and orientation, network capacity planning, interference mitigation, security enhancements, roaming optimization, and coverage verification.channel assignment and configuration
1. The optical location of access points can be suggested or they can be moved to make it possible for maximum coverage.
2. To reduce interference and optimize network performance, channel assignment, and configuration require suggesting suitable Wi-Fi channel assignments and configuration parameters.
3. The process of choosing the right kind of antenna and orienting it to best optimize signal strength and coverage in certain places is known as antenna selection and orientation.
4. Planning for network capacity may include load balancing, data rate adjustments, or equipment upgrades.
5. The process of detecting and reducing interference comes from a variety of sources, including nearby Wi-Fi networks and physical impediments.
Conclusion
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