What is a Wireless Survey and why do I need one?
A Wireless Survey ,also known as a RF (Radio Frequency) Survey is the first and probably most important step when planning a Wireless Network. The purpose of RF surveys are to determine which areas require RF coverage, which of these areas will have the highest usage, causes of interference, how many access points are required and the best place to locate these access points.
Performing RF surveys can save a lot of money when designing a wireless network. Without, a survey the number and type of access points required can either be hugely over or under estimated. This can then result in a very expense network that isn't needed for the tasks it is performing or a network that simply doesn't meet requirements, incurring more cost to install additional access points or change the access points entirely.
The process of performing RF surveys is a fairly simple one. With a floor plan loaded into the survey software we can plot potential sources of signal degradation such as walls, shelving, lift shafts etc. We can then use the software to plot a proposal for the number of access points and their locations by defining what the network shall be used for and the number of devices that will use the network. We can then perform a physical survey by setting up an access point in the proposed locations and measure the signal strength and interference in the area using specialist software and wireless network cards. If the real world readings are different to those predicted by the software we can then assess the causes of interference or alter the number of access points and their locations.
Once the onsite survey has been performed for each proposed access point location, we can then produce reports documenting various readings including Signal Strength, Data Rate, Throughput and more. We will also produce a report on cable routes, distances and all the kit required including access points, power injectors, switches etc.
Our team of Engineers can assist you along every step of the installation process. Once the wireless network has been installed, we can then perform an additional survey just to ensure that the network is perform as expected for the end users.
