Setting up a wireless network requires a little more than simply placing access points around the site. Careful configuration is required to get consistent and effective WiFi coverage throughout your premises, and proper configuration depends on the results of surveys. A post-installation site survey helps you to optimize your coverage as well as identify any weak-spots or dead zones.
To validate your wireless network design and implementation, you'll need to conduct a site survey. Validation can also be carried out pre-installation using a technique known as 'AP on a Stick' (APoS), in which access points (APs) are tested at prospective locations using mounting hardware like tripods and telescopic stands to reach typical ceiling locations.
You may also conduct a site survey post-installation to check for optimal performance with the actual functioning hardware. It is vital to ensure that the setup meets coverage and capacity requirements for full peace of mind. Whether pre or post-installation, site surveys typically take place by testing each AP in turn. The characteristics and performance of each should be recorded before moving on to the next.
Post-installation surveys allow you to optimize network performance, by addressing signal strength, coverage gaps, and interference. Even functioning WiFi networks may have weak spots that can only be properly identified using site surveys. Wireless network optimization ensures the best possible coverage and signal strength given the available hardware and infrastructure. It allows applications and devices to function as intended without performance issues or inexplicable network latency.
A post-installation site survey should usually be conducted for optimization purposes immediately after deployment. However, you may also run site surveys periodically to check that the network is running at its required level, or in response to reports of problems. Periodic wireless site surveys can help to identify and troubleshoot issues with the wireless network, such as dropped connections, slow performance, or patches with weak coverage. These could be due to hardware misconfiguration or problems with the structure or contents of the building. Either way, you'll need a survey to determine where and how to act to resolve the issues.
Wireless site surveys provide valuable data for future upgrades and improvements. When planning network maintenance, identifying high network usage areas and predicting future capacity requirements provide useful guidance for what kind of hardware and configuration improvements are needed. Armed with such information, you may decide to deploy additional access points (and be guided in your judgment of where to place them). You may also choose to make configuration changes or address issues with the infrastructure of the building.
To optimize and improve your WiFi setup, site surveys provide an invaluable analytic resource. To find out more about post-installation surveys, contact Orion US to talk to one of our engineers today.
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