Why Do You Need To Carry Out A Site Survey?

If Wi-Fi performance is poor, it is worth taking a survey on the site.

A site survey can help you evaluate WiFi performance and find places where you can improve your signal. With the growing number of personal Wi-Fi devices, the growing popularity of Internet of things devices and sporadic building improvements, the survey guarantees signal strength and coverage of the area, and detects dead zones and network interference.

See the floor plan

If you don't have floor plans for your buildings, you can use the wifi site survey tools to draw them or upload your original drawings. This is also useful if you are working outside your home (such as a shared workspace) and want to find a place to sit for the best Internet connection.

What you are looking for in your floor plan is if there is an obstacle that blocks or blocks the radio signal (WiFi uses analog radio waves, despite being digital). Walls, ceilings, floors, corridors, doors, and elevators can cause problems.

Use floor plans to identify where people need Wi-Fi access. For example, if you have a design team on the second floor, a router on the first floor opposite the building only provides a patch signal at best.

Use the plan to resolve where compensation exists or is needed.

Identify the location of the access point.

To provide the type of WiFi coverage that people expect and need to work efficiently, APs are needed in all areas that need Internet access. This includes the installation of power and network cables to link the AP, as well as the location of the router.

To obtain the best performance, the AP must be installed as close as possible to the ceiling. The ceiling height reduces obstacles, so you can send a strong signal to the device below. However, do not place the AP on the ceiling, as ducts, pipes, and fittings will block the signal.

Also, do not place the AP so that it is not too close to the hallway (there is almost no need to use WiFi in the hallway) or concrete walls. If the AP cannot be mounted at ceiling height, consider installing it on an adjacent wall to ensure adequate signal strength.

Proof of Coverage

The easiest way to test coverage is to walk through the building with your laptop in hand and record the signal strength. However, a much more accurate way is to use the iStat menu, which provides real-time information on upload/download speed.

To ensure both accuracy and simplicity, use the network mapping function. This is due to having access to a Wi-Fi heat mapper that can quickly identify where AP performance degrades and signal dots.

Troubleshooting network and testing

Coverage tests show where the intensity of the AP signal is decreasing. All you need to do is relocate the AP, install additional hardware if necessary and try again. This is like adjusting the antenna to get the correct signal on older televisions and radios. Continue adjusting until you reach the optimum point.

Adjust the position of the AP and try again. Repeat as necessary. This can be a long process, but it is worth it if all devices show a full bar in the connection indicator

Save all data for future reference. Do this again sometime.

Schedule future tests

Unfortunately, WiFi benefits from that environment. As your business grows, Wi-Fi dependencies change. New apartments are created, rooms are changed, walls are built and Macs are installed. All this, together with the new Internet-ready refrigerator and kettle, affect wireless signals.

Therefore, it is worthwhile to conduct a wireless site survey using the application at least twice a year, or if there are obvious changes in the building. If nothing else, it allows you to keep the peace. After all, good WiFi equals happy people!