We looked at several tools and even tried to hire a company to do a site survey for us. Only one company was interested since we were not going to purchase APs, installation services, etc from them. We finally decided to do our own site survey using bulding plans and placing APs on a 75' diagonal grid to provide overlapping coverage to every spot in the building. AutoCAD and a reasonable set of drawings got us on our way. We decided not to even visit the buildings. We will later use the same drawings as a basis for publishing AP location information to our users (though the entire campus will be covered when we finish the project, so I doubt that these will be used very often). And, we will also use these plans as a base for our AP and user location tool (either the Cisco Location Appliance or the Airwave VisualRF product, or both).
Based on a comparison of buildings that we already had installed to the plans that we came up with on paper, they are almost identical. Changes were mostly from one side of a hall to the other. The installed buildings used a technique of hauling an AP and several laptops around and taking signal strength readings. Then, after some further guessing we installed the units. Very few adjustments had to be made later to provide good coverage. The existing AP placements and the new paper-based placements were done by different folks with very little knowledge of where the other group had placed the APs. Since we are using the Cisco controller-based APs, we anticipate the controllers making some adjustments to AP power settings to cut back power in some places. We also expect to have to add some APs in areas where walls are particularly thick or some other form of interference was not readily detectable frm the floor plans we used. We will cover outdoor areas by guessing and then fixing. Many outdoor areas will get covered just frm the leakage from adjoining buildings. By the way, we will be supporting a/b/g with this installation though we anticipate dropping b in the fall. Now we just need a pile of money to get us on our way. -jcw > To: [email protected] > From: Christian Hroux <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:57:58 -0400 > Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Site survey Wifi deployment software and methodology > queries > Reply-To: "802.11 wireless issues listserv" > <[email protected]> > > Hello! > > > > We are planning a campus wide Wifi deployment. I am looking for > tool and advice on > how to do site survey. We are looking at Cisco airspace solution with > controller. The test > deployment 20 AP was done with consultant and the actual site survey was to > install and move > around one mobile AP and check the reception with a laptop to determine the > final AP spot. This > process was repeated until the floor was covered. Not a very scientific > approach and quite > costly. > > > > >From my reading there are 2 types of site survey: > > > > -Spectrum analyser to evaluate noise in your environment. > > -Simulation software tool where you load your (autocad) floor plan and the > software will help to > define the location of your access-points. > > -Another survey is to install all access-points and walk the floor and take > sample reading with a > laptop and software and analyse the result. > > -Once you have your Wifi network Cisco seem to have some functionality where > AP can listen to > each other and adjusted their power and maybe recommend to move some AP > around. (WLSE walkabout > feature old aeronet solution) but at this point you need to have your network > install before > using this tool. > > > > I was looking at air magnet software to those 2 functions any comments? > > What was your experience with those softwares? Any other that I should look > at? > > In only few lines, how do you proceed with your WIFI site survey and what > tool do you use? > > > > Thanks > > > > Christian Héroux > > University of Quebec > > Montréal, Canada > > > ********** > Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent > Group discussion list > can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. > ---------------------------------------------------------------- John Watters UA: Office of Information Technology 205-348-3992 ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
