The goal of a wireless site survey is to determine the number and placement of access points to providesuitable signal coverage throughout a facility. Any successful survey will need to take into account signal to noise ratio (SNR), RF interference, transmission channels and power. These attributes, among others, play a significant role in designing and implementing a superb wireless local area network (WLAN). The need and complexity of a wireless site survey will vary depending on the facility. The larger a facility, such as an office complex, airport, hospital, or warehouse, or an outdoor area like a city, generally requires an extensive wireless site survey. Without a survey, the end users may end up with poor coverage and low application performance. When conducting a wireless site survey, consider the following: 1. Understand wireless requirements:Identify the optimum target data ratesand throughput needed for a particular business/application. Be sure to identify the technologies that the network will implement and take into account the mobile RF frequency and power specs. 2. Obtain a facility diagram: Before a survey can be started, obtain a set of building blueprints. If diagrams are not available, prepare a drawing that depicts the location of walls, walkways, etc. 3. Visually inspect the facility:Best practice mandates a walk through the facility before performing any testing to verify the accuracy of the facility diagram. Keep in mind and note attenuation barriers such as metal racks, concrete walls, bulky static objects and their material composition (corrugated, plastic, etc.) Note locations for mounting access points. Taking all these attributes into consideration will simply future testing. 4. Identify and utilize existing network infrastructure: Determine the capacity of any existing wired infrastructure (ethernet or optical). Using the existing infrastructure and optimizing it will help lower costs while defining the architecture and bill of materials for the wireless network. 5. Identify area coverage: Locate all areas where coverage is needed (offices, hallways, stairwells, utility rooms, bathrooms, break rooms, patios, etc.) Also, identifying the areas where there should be no coverage to avoid wasting time and minimize surveying costs. 6. Verify access point locations. At this point site survey testing begins. Most wireless LAN vendors provide wireless site survey software that identifies the associated access point, data rate, signal strength, and signal quality. Plan for some propagation overlap (generally 25 percent) among adjacent access points. At this point it is very important to factor in SNR range boundary and uplink signal strength when interpreting the results. Take note of performance or signal readings at different points as you survey. 8. Document findings. Once you’re satisfied that the location of access points you’ve identified will provide adequate signal coverage, document your findings on the facility diagrams. The installers will need this information. These steps will point you in the right direction, but experience really pays off. Our knowledgeable staff and engineers and software developers have years of experience in deploying reliable and cost-effective wireless solutions. Let us know if we can help design, implement or maintain your current network infrastructure.