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Do I really need an RF onsite WiFi survey?

I’m often asked this question, and 9 ½ times out of 10 my answer is ‘ Yes, Absolutely. It provides the basis for the overall design of your Wi-Fi network ’.

An RF survey guarantee’s the network will capable of not only covering all physical areas to an acceptable level but crucially the amount of AP’s needed to cope with the amount of wireless clients.

Did you know that the average business user will have 3-4 wireless devices? So when we count seats in an office we have to multiply the total client support by up to 4.

With the introduction of 802.11ac Wave 2, AP throughput can theoretically be 5Gbps plus, therefore an upgrade to the existing LAN switch infrastructure will need to be considered along with any on premise controller licencing.

The existing RF environment can also impact any new network, particularly if the areas to be covered are in a shared office location. Spectrum analysis is normally recommended to detect any non-Wi-Fi interference to help mitigate any performance issues.

With an onsite survey, we survey existing and new cabling, mounting locations, data cabinet layout, wall and floor attenuation and provide all the results within our site survey documentation.

Initial RF planning and design are fundamental to ensuring a successful Wi-Fi deployment. The last thing any company or stakeholder wants to hear after installing on a new enterprise grade Wi-Fi network is ‘ I keep dropping off the network ‘ or ‘ the Wi-Fi doesn’t work in the board room ‘ and the next thing you know, staff are plugging in their own Wi-Fi devices which of course causes huge security problems.

So if you are planning a new wireless network, please come and talk to us by calling 0345 3 822 866 or email: presales@smartltd.com. We supply and install various wireless manufactures including, but not limited to Meraki, Ruckus, Purple, Cisco and Xirrus.

At Smart Wireless, we always underwrite and guarantee our Wi-Fi network services. But we will nearly always insist on a survey first!

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