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Manual
Site Surveys
A wireless
site surveys is the single most
important step to ensuring a well
implemented, reliable wireless
network. Two types of wireless
site surveys are manual site surveys
and
predictive modeling.
A
wireless site survey is the process
of discovering RF behavior,
coverage, and interference to
determine the number of access
points required, and the proper
hardware placement in the facility,
as well as the proper output power
and cabling required.
Wireless
networks use radio frequency signals
that have specific properties such
as wavelength, phase, amplitude,
frequency and polarization.
When transmitted in open air or
through various construction types,
these signals attenuate.
If a
wireless receiver's signal strength
- as noted by its RSSI (Received
Signal Strength Indicator) is so
low, or the noise floor is so high
that it cannot distinguish data from
noise, the receiver will not be able
to reliably communicate.
The site
survey identifies the areas in the
facility where coverage or capacity
issues may cause communication
problems. Manual site surveys
do this by sampling RF signals at
various locations throughout the
facility.
How C3-Wireless Performs Manual Site
Surveys
There
are numerous software applications
available to perform manual site
surveys, varying from free
applications - including basic
applications bundled with a wireless
LAN card (where the surveyor walks
around checking signal strength) to
sophisticated applications that
include not only RSSI but noise
floor and signal-to-noise ratio,
etc.
If you
run mission-critical applications or
require a highly reliable wireless
network, basic site surveying
techniques are precise enough and do
not record enough information. Advanced
measurements and expert analysis is
required to ensure the accuracy
needed and expected.
| After
testing numerous professional-grade solutions,
C3-Wireless has proudly chosen Helium Networks
Wireless Recon as the absolute best possible manual site
surveyor available.
While most software-only
applications take dozens of samples, Wireless Recon is a
hardware-software solution, taking thousands of
samples while mapping each to a path created by
special sensors attached to the survey cart.
This data is then analyzed by certified wireless
experts, giving us an "unfair advantage" resulting
in well implemented wireless networks, time after
time, guaranteed.
Click
here for a 2-minute video on Wireless Recon. |
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For new implementations,
we combine predictive modeling with manual
validation and spectrum analysis (identifying non-Wi-Fi
interference) for the most affordable and accurate
site surveys available.
Extensive sampling
allows us to precisely identify the problem areas in
existing networks to make the most informed
decisions possible.
All wireless site
surveys include detailed reports providing signal
strength, signal-to-noise ratio, recommended channel
assignments, etc.
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Benefits of Manual Site Surveys
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Highly
accurate account of the RF environment by taking actual
RF samples
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Identifies sources of interference (including non-Wi-Fi
when combined with spectrum analysis
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Helps
ensure clients experience a continually high-quality RF
connection as they move about the facility
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Allows
designers to make well-informed recommendations
Costs
of Manual Site Surveys or Validation
Pricing is
highly competitive and generally based upon estimated time
of completion. Predictive models are typically
included when designing or redesigning a wireless network,
saving time and helping to keep costs down. |
