WN Podcast 060 – Passive vs Active Site Survey
Passive vs Active survey – what’s the difference & what should I do?
Ekahau
WN Video 015 – The Forgotten Feature in Ekahau
Hey!
In this short video I talk to you about a really nice feature inside of Ekahau that I often forget about!
I show you what it is, how you use & why it can come in handy!
WN Video 009 – Matt’s Number one Ekahau Tip
In this video we share with you our number 1 Ekahau tip 🙂
WN Video 006 – Ekahau Pro
In this video Matt from WiFi Ninjas gives you a brief overview of one of his favourite WiFi tools – Ekahau Pro.
He takes a look at the WiFi data on his MacBook that he collected on the Ekahau App for iOS on his iPhone.
You can see how Matt use the Ekahau iOS App in this video: https://youtu.be/XgS3avplip8
You can find out more about Ekahau and their products at: https://www.ekahau.com
If you want to learn more about WiFi and how to use the suite of Ekahau design tools you can find out more here: https://www.ekahau.com/training/ecse-design/
WN Video 005 – Ekahau Survey App
In this video Matt from WiFi Ninjas shows you how to use the Ekahau Survey App for iOS & the multiple ways that you can carry out a WiFi Survey using the application.
Matt also shows you the different heat map visualisations that you can see on the app and how you sync your project files with the Ekahau cloud.
Find out more about Ekahau over at their website: https://www.ekahau.com
WN Video 004 – Ekahau Analyser
Matt shows you one of the WiFi tools he uses when on customer sites – the Ekahau analyser app on iOS.
This WiFi tool is great for on the go troubleshooting and spectrum analysis. You can find out more about Ekahau from here: https://www.ekahau.com
This video was made using Ecamm Live, you can find out more about Ecamm live from our referral link: https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=matt37
(you don’t get money off but we will get a small commission if you use our link)
WN Podcast 031 – Surveys, Design & Teaching Tips with Ferney Munoz
Welcome to our new WiFi Ninjas Podcast
episode!
Today we talk about WiFi design and teaching tips and some crazy, unconventional surveys using GPS & Segways in quite niche verticals like slums, city outdoors and mining. Welcome our special guest and a great teacher – Ferney Munoz!
Enjoy!
Tons of love x,
WiFi Ninjas
WN Blog 018 – WiFi Design Day 2019 Experience
Hey!
I have just recently attended the Ekahau & Open Reality WiFi Design Day 2019 at the ICC in Birmingham and thought I would do a blog post to summarise my experience and thoughts.
This was my 3rd year in a row attending from the 1st one back in 2017 at the Churchill War Rooms, to the Barbican centre and then the ICC in Birmingham – this year I was attending as a speaker for the first time.
I really feel that there is no other event like this in the UK where you get the exposure to such a wealth of fantastic speakers, the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals & they throw in food + beers! For what is very little expense in comparison.
Big thanks to all the people over at Ekahau & Open Reality for the event but I want to say to Sam Cobley and Matt Cavill imparticular a huge thanks to these guys as I know how much personal time & effort they put into this event to make sure it’s always a massive success.
I will cover & highlight some of the presentations from the day below but disclaimer – I have not included every presentation from the day here as I did not attend them all!
When I first arrived at the ICC in Birmingham it wasn’t too difficult to work out where I needed to go from this nice display.
The line up for the day’s action, we took the liberty of highlighting what the people were saying was the most exciting & anticipated presentation of the day:
My 3rd year attending, first time speaking lanyard – a special day for me personally 🙂
I took this photo at what is arguably the most important part of the day – coffee time! We WiFi pros need that coffee first thing in the morning but it was equally as great to see that so many people were in attendance given the typically bad English weather that had caused extensive flooding & travel nightmares.
With nearly 300 tickets sold, we can see a packed crowd here and just how popular these WiFi Design days are becoming!
Anssi & Mikko kicked off the day by showing us some extremely cool & exciting new features that will be coming out very soon with Ekahau. You will now be able to moonwalk, drink a beer and survey – all at the same!
Ekahau never fails to amaze me with the innovations of the products they offer to us as WiFi Engineers and there is absolutely no way I would be able to do my job as effectively without having Ekahahu in my tool kit.
David Corbett gave us an interesting insight into the NHS Free WiFi rollout and how important WiFi really is seen now and no more as a “nice to have”. How much of a benefit & positive experience it brings to not only patients that use the WiFi extensively whilst at the hospital to stay in contact with loved ones but also for staff how much it is helping them also.
Next up to present was the original WiFi Legend himself, Mr. Keith Parsons! Keith took us through some tips, techniques, tools for troubleshooting WLANs. I have been lucky enough to be on one of Keith’s’ training courses, as well as seeing him present in person. There are few better in the WiFi industry than Keith and for him to share his knowledge and tips with us is one of the best parts of the day for me.
A couple of tips if you are at one of Keith’s presentations – make sure to put your phone on silent and ask permission if you want to record him, personally I would just suggest you sit back, enjoy and try to take in as much information as possible!
Keith also revealed some new training courses that are going to be available from the ECSE / WLAN Pros next year. ECSE Troubleshooting & ECSE Advanced – as well as offering the original ECSE Design still.
If like me you wanted to know when the next opportunity would be to go on one of these amazing training courses – here are some of the dates for 2020:
Mark gave us an insight into Eduroaming, from how it is deployed to how many unique devices they are seeing on the Eduroam network – Pretty impressive. This is a great concept and something I personally really want to see more of in the WiFi industry. Cisco is doing something very similar called “Open Roaming” where the handoff from 4/5G to WiFi is completely seamless and requires no interaction from the end-user – just how WiFi should be in my opinion.
Keeping up with the theme from last year where I featured on the WiFi design day YouTube video for feedback on the day – I was more than happy to get back in front of the camera again to tell everyone what a great day I had and why.
This was now after the lunch and the two breakout sessions or “tracks” started.
I attended track 2 as this was also where we would be presenting 🙂
First up was Nick Turner / Dick Burner – giving us a live demo of some of the new Ekahau features.
Next up in track 2 was the voice master, Andrew McHale. It is always a pleasure and insightful to listen to Andrew’s tips on voice for wireless – there is no doubt that he is one of the leading experts in the industry when it comes to the subject – so even though this was the 327273th time we had heard Andrew talk about voice over wireless – it was still amazing & extremely mind-blowing hearing Andrews knowledge of this subject.
I have highlighted my favourite tip from Andrews slide here 😀
This was mine & Mac’s first time presenting at the WiFi design day and we decided to talk about what we think is the most exciting thing about WiFi – RTLS! (Real-time location services) We first went through some theory on what is RTLS, different methods & techniques, etc and then had some real-world demos + testing that we had been doing throughout the year.
We then headed back into the main hall where Jim took us through an alternative view of what the 7Signal portfolio could bring to us by not using the WiFi monitoring tool for monitoring the WiFi – but using it to help us with designing WiFi.
The last presenter of the day was the Magician himself, Mr. Perter Mackenzie. The topic for Peter’s presentation was roaming analysis – where Peter covered the different methods & amendments available to help clients roam whilst giving us a deep dive view into the packets of how all of this happens.
This would have seemed like quite a dark art to me if I hadn’t have had the pleasure of sitting one of Peter’s CWAP courses this year so thankfully I could understand at least some of what Peter was saying :D.
Anyone thinking about going for their CWAP or just want to get a better understanding of how this fantastic protocol works, then I highly recommend you take one of Peters’s courses if you get the chance to.
Peter finished his presentation off by mentioning the WLA, all the great things they have coming up but also about the UK WiFi Guys Slack Chat.
This a great form of community and communicating with fellow WiFi pros in the UK – if you are not in the UK WiFi Guys Slack chat and would like to be, you can reach out to @WiFiNigel on twitter to get added.
This was a fantastic selfie that WiFi Nigel took, really catching his best angle here I think :D.
We finished the day off with a round table where some of the presenters were invited back on stage to take questions from the crowd & any questions that came in online. We were extremely honored to be invited back up to be on the round table to sit up there with some true WiFi legends and, Andrew McHale ;).
The only slightly negative feedback / constructive criticism was, and this is my completely unbiased opinion but I think that next year Open Reality / Ekahau should give the WiFi Ninjas a longer time slot and be on the main stage 😉
One final warning/ tip: if you go out with Alan Blake the night before a conference, you will have one of the best nights out you have ever had, but prepare appropriately for the hangover the next day. I would still highly recommend this experience to anyone as Alan is one of the most fun & nicest people I have met – who I always look forward to seeing at these events.
I hope you enjoyed my summary of the 2019 WiFi Design day, if you were there and would like to leave your feedback also – please feel free to post a comment below as I am sure the guys at Open Reality & Ekahau would love to know.
Lots of love,
Matt
x
WN Blog 016 – WiFi Tools
Hey!
I am putting this blog together to cover some of the wireless tools that we use or are highly recommended in the wireless community.
Many of you might already be aware of some of the tools in this blog but there might be some in here that you have not come across before that you could find quite useful.
We will kick things off with the WiFi tool we use the most, which is Ekahau.
If you are a wireless engineer then this is a must-have in your tool bag – we use it for everything – from designing wireless networks to troubleshooting them.
Ekahau is certainly rich in products & features so we will just cover them here quickly:
Ekahau Pro™ Site Survey Tool
“The industry standard tool for designing, analyzing, optimizing and troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks. It combines professional grade features with unprecedented ease of use and features a new, ultra-fast user interface which works on macOS and Windows. Ekahau Pro site survey supports all Wi-Fi access points, thousands of antennas and every Wi-Fi standard including 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).”
Ekahau Sidekick®
“All-in-one, precise Wi-Fi diagnostic and measurement device that contains two Wi-Fi radios and a spectrum analyzer used for professional Wi-Fi site surveys and troubleshooting. It delivers 2x faster site surveys, 4-10x faster spectrum analysis (compared to other Wi-Fi spectrum analyzers) and uses seven factory tested antennas which are placed in the optimum orientation to deliver precise and consistent measurement accuracy. It’s plug-and-plan, works with iPad, MacOS and Windows and supports all Wi-Fi standards, including the new 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).”
Ekahau Survey™ for iPad
“Ekahau Survey is the first professional grade Wi-Fi site survey tool for iPad. This solution is 70% lighter than using a laptop which helps you keep going all day. It’s intuitive and easy to use which means both Wi-Fi experts and IT professionals can now perform site surveys with ease. It automatically locates all nearby access points and places them on a map and delivers instant post-survey analysis with easy-to-read, beautiful crystal-clear heatmaps.”
Ekahau Capture™
“With Ekahau Capture you no longer have to invest into dedicated and expensive equipment or fallback on complex and unreliable methods to perform packet capture. Easily collect the data you need to conduct advanced troubleshooting and in-depth analysis of tough to diagnose Wi-Fi problems without waiting for a Wi-Fi expert. Ekahau Capture makes it possible for anyone to quickly capture Wi-Fi packets using Ekahau Sidekick.”
Ekahau Cloud™
“Choose a collaboration method that works best for you and your customers and easily switch between offline and cloud modes. Enjoy seamless collaboration between central office and field sites and make project sharing with your entire team simple and easy. Multiple people in the field can now work concurrently on the same project while critical data can be quickly shared with Wi-Fi experts anywhere in the world so they can help troubleshoot tough to solve problems without ever leaving the office.”
Ekahau works on both Windows & Mac.
With Ekahau Connect you can survey on iPad – iOS.
Link to Ekahau website – https://www.ekahau.com
Ekahau does cost money – to get a quote from a reseller in the UK contact Open Reality – https://www.openreality.co.uk/
- @Ekahau
- @OpenRealityUK
Protocol Analysis Tools
Wireshark
“Wireshark is the world’s foremost and widely-used network protocol analyzer. It lets you see what’s happening on your network at a microscopic level and is the de facto (and often de jure) standard across many commercial and non-profit enterprises, government agencies, and educational institutions. Wireshark development thrives thanks to the volunteer contributions of networking experts around the globe and is the continuation of a project started by Gerald Combs in 1998.”
Wireshark works on both Windows & Mac.
Wireshark is a free tool
Wireshark website – https://www.wireshark.org/
Twitter – @WiresharkNews
OmniPeek
Omni Peek is also a protocol analyser and a very nice wireless tool for protocol analysis – but unlike Wireshark this is not a free tool.
Omni Peek Overview:
Real-Time Network Protocol Analyzer
- Decoding over 1,000 protocols, Omnipeek provides real-time analysis for every type of network segment – 1/10/40/100 Gigabit, 802.11, and voice and video over IP – and for every level of network traffic.
Real-Time Network Protocol Analyzer
- Intuitive Graphic Displays and Visualization
- Intuitive Graphic Displays and Visualization
- Omnipeek network protocol analyzer delivers intuitive visualization and effective forensics for faster resolution of network and application performance issues and security investigations.
Best-In-Class Network Analysis Workflow
- Widely recognized as the best network analysis workflow in the industry, Omnipeek makes it easy to drill down, look across, compare, discover, and ultimately reduce mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR).
Network Analysis Workflow
- 3K-top-view
- Monitor Distributed Networks Remotely
- Using LiveCapture with Omnipeek extends network monitoring and visibility for troubleshooting of application-level issues at remote sites and branches, WAN links, and data centers.
Easy WiFi Troubleshooting
- The Omnipeek WiFi adaptor is a USB-connected WLAN device designed for wireless packet capture. The 802.11ac adapter supports 802.11ac capture up to 2 transmit/receive streams (866Mbps wireless traffic) and supports 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz channel operation.
Omnipeek only works on Windows.
Omnipeek Website: https://www.liveaction.com/products/omnipeek-network-protocol-analyzer/
Twitter: @omnipeek
WinFi
WinFi Lite is a new networking program and app for Microsoft Windows devices designed to monitor, analyze, and manage wireless networks. The application is available as a Microsoft Store application and as a classic desktop application.
WinFi Lite Overview:
Perfect for quick Wi-Fi troubleshooting. Your dreams of doing Wi-Fi analysis while mobile have come true. WinFi and a Windows 10 tablet of your choice, makes convenient on-the-go analysis.
Familiar element decoding. No steep learning curve. WinFi leverages familiar structure and naming guidelines found in Wireshark.
Networks are analyzed for standards violations and malformed elements. WinFi will let you know if there are inconsistencies. Plus, you can open networks from WinFi directly in Wireshark.
Outstanding grouping, filtering and sorting capabilities. WinFi has powerful and best in class grouping, filtering and sorting capabilities.
Group, filter and sort by any information you want. Set filter and grouping thresholds for signal values, use regular expressions for text searches, and much more.
WiniFi Lite works on Windows only.
There are free & paid versions of this tool.
Twitter: @HelgeKeck
Website: http://www.helge-keck.com/
WiFi Explorer
Additional viewing options in WiFi Explorer Pro let you organize scan results by SSID, access point or access point radio to better visualize multiple networks per access point.
Simple, intuitive user interface
- WiFi Explorer gathers configuration and capability information about all the networks it discovers and presents it on an easy-to-use, intuitive user interface. Information includes network name (SSID), BSSID, vendor, country code, channel, band, security configuration, supported data rates, number of streams, and much more.
- Additional viewing options in WiFi Explorer Pro let you organize scan results by SSID, access point or access point radio to better visualize multiple networks per access point.
Resolve Wi-Fi issues
- With WiFi Explorer, you can find the best channel for your network or determine a better placement for your access point. You can also identify channel conflicts, overlapping or configuration issues that may be affecting the connectivity and performance of your wireless network.
- Expert information, available in WiFi Explorer Pro, such as per-channel beacon overhead, gives you a general overview of the Wi-Fi environment to better plan your network installation or mitigate existing problems.
Get a full insight into Wi-Fi networks
- WiFi Explorer has been developed with the support and feedback of Wi-Fi experts. Its ease of use and advanced features, such as the ability to decode network information, access point name discovery or enhanced filtering, give you a full insight into the capabilities and configuration details of wireless networks.
- Other advanced features include the ability to find and display information about hidden networks, support for external Wi-Fi adapters, Zigbee integration, and much more.
Spectrum Analysis Integration
- WiFi Explorer Pro’s spectrum analysis integration lets you visualize RF information and correlate it with Wi-Fi data to identify non-802.11 energy sources and better understand the effects of interference and channel utilization on your wireless network. Compatible spectrum analyzers:
- MetaGeek’s Wi-Spy 2.4x (Version 2) & Wi-Spy DBx
- Ekahau Spectrum Analyzer
- RF Explorer Wi-Fi Combo
- Ubertooth One
- HackRF One (Experimental)
WiFi Explorer works only on Mac.
There are free & paid versions of this tool.
Download link for WiFi Explorer: Here
Twitter: @adriangranados
Wireless Sensors / Packet Capture devices
Kubicon
Kubicon system consists of two components- cloud based dashboard and a hardware Wi-Fi sensor which basically mimics end user Wi-Fi behaviour.
All that needs to be done in order to deploy the solution is to perform configuration on cloud console which is central point of management and reporting and to deploy sensors across desired environment.
The solution monitors number of important factors such as Wi-Fi signal quality , bandwidth capacity, network service, web applications, etc. from wireless end user perspective. Additionally it calculates overall Wi-Fi client experience score, based on these values. All metrics are available in real-time on cloud dashboard or on demand in form of reports which in turn can be exported to multiple easy to read/use formats. Based on the mentioned architecture and features, we are able to detect current issues and predict possible problems in the future.
One of the most frequent issues we have experienced in Wi-Fi environments was related to Guest Wi-Fi networks, particularly lack of (proactive) monitoring and analytics of Captive Portals.
That’s why we are very proud that we managed to develop comprehensive Wi-Fi captive portal testing and monitoring, with the features such as:
- Landing page responsiveness
- Identification of excessive time taking to load the landing page
- Real time Authentication – which helps to identify backend issues during constant client authentication checks
Website: https://kubicon.io/
WLAN-Pi
Since then, it has been widely embraced in the awesome wireless community and after many contributions, this tiny box has evolved well beyond a network performance testing device.
Today, it can also be used as a remote Wi-Fi scanner, packet capture tool, portable Wi-Fi signal generator and much more! These capabilities assist wireless professionals with designing better wireless networks, troubleshooting issues more quickly, and validating wireless network performance.”
WLAN Pi | Handheld Edition
What’s included:
- NanoPi Computer
- Comfast CF-912AC NIC
- USB -Micro to USB-C cable
- USB-C to USB-A Adapter
- Handheld – custom 3D Printed Case
- Preloaded with WLAN pi version 1.8.3
- Assembled and tested
- Support for WLAN pi team
Websites:
Twitter:
- @wlanpi
- @wifinigel
- @jolla
Net Ally AirCheck G2
AirCheck G2 offers a one-button AutoTest function that quickly provides a pass/fails indication of Wi-Fi network quality and identifies common problems.
Test the latest Wi-Fi standards (including 802.11ax), with a rugged, handheld, purpose-built wireless tester.
See all networks and devices in your location immediately upon power-up.
View test results, including network availability, connectivity, utilization, throughput, security settings, possible rogues, and interferers.
Automate reporting and enable collaboration with upload and management test results via Link-Live Cloud Service.
Twitter: @NetAlly
Website – https://www.netally.com/products/aircheck/
Metageek – Wi-Spy
Powerful Dual-Band Spectrum Analysis
Chanalyzer Essential includes Wi-Spy DBx, a powerful dual-band spectrum analyzer that measures WiFi and non-WiFi activity in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Chanalyzer utilizes radio frequency data from Wi-Spy DBx to provide you with a real-time visual overview of your WiFi network environment.
Locate Sources of Interference
Once you’re able to see interference, the next step is to eliminate it. Unlike the omnidirectional WiFi antenna in your laptop or wireless adapter, a directional antenna is highly focused to pinpoint non-WiFi sources of interference. This allows you to actively seek out and remove loud transmitters from your WiFi environment.
Monitor Channel Saturation and Intermittent Interferers
By graphing every access point within reach and pairing it with the raw RF information provided by Wi-Spy, Chanalyzer provides you with all the information you need to monitor and manage saturated channels. The built-in recording feature even allows you to track the most frustrating WiFi problem – intermittent interference – and come up with a plan to eliminate it for good.
Twitter: @metageek
Website: https://www.metageek.com/products/wi-spy/
Mobile devices
iOS
WiFi diagnostics with Apple iOS13:
We found this through Dan Jones so thank you to Dan! His twitter is: @UKDanJones
You need to install the developer profile from here: https://developer.apple.com/bug-reporting/profiles-and-logs/
- Scroll to bottom
- Find Wi-Fi for iOS
- log in “as a developer” but you can use your usual Apple account
- Once you’ve loaded the profile you connect to an SSID, click the ‘i’ icon next to it & choose Diagnostics.
This profile gives you access to previously hidden/inaccessible menus & functions in your iOS.
- BSSID
- Identifies the Access Point the iPhone is currently connected to
- Channel
- Tells you on which channel the Access Point operates and with which channel width (e.g. 80 MHz)
- Signal Strength
- Signal Strength (RSSI in dBm) with color indication and written indicator (e.g. Strong, Moderate, Weak)
- Below you’ll see an indication of how the channel utilization is being rated/seen
- Security
- Information on how the wireless network is secured e.g. „WPA3 Personal“
- Captive
- Information if you go through a Captive Portal to connect to the network
- Deployment
- Information if the Wireless LAN operates with multiple Access Points (Multi AP) or a single AP (Single AP)
- Motion
- Stationary (the iPhone doesn’t move e.g. stationary on the desk)
- Moving (the iPhone is being held in hand)
- Walking (the iPhone moves with walking speed)
- Running (the iPhone moves with running speed (also happens if you jump with the device))
Connectivity
- Gateway
- Information on how much time it takes to get to your Gateway
- Internet
- Information on how much time it takes to get to the internet (apple.com)
Coexistence
- AWDL Mode
- AWDL stands for Apple Wireless Direct Link“ and is used for AirDrop
- Active or Inactive
- Bluetooth
- Idle
- Scan
- Active or Inactive
- Directly below you’ll find an indication which application triggered the last scan e.g. location and when this happened
Website: https://dokuwiki.alu4u.com/doku.php?id=stellar-wireless-apple-ios-ios13-wireless-diagnostics
Airport Utility
This is a great app on iOS to show you the RSSI from the device perspective but once you have installed the application you need to go into the settings and enable the WiFi scanner:
Example of the information we can see using Airport Utility:
Android
Aruba utilities
Aruba Utilities includes:
• A Wi-Fi Monitor showing the Wi-Fi environment, including the current access point, dynamic signal strength and RSSI measurements, other access points audible to the device and handover events.
• A Telnet/SSH client that works with Aruba mobility controllers, allowing network configuration and monitoring from a mobile platform.
• An AirWave client that downloads the floorplan image and AP details from the network’s AirWave WLAN management system. See where APs are located relative to your position, and touch AP icons for details of current loading, channels and power.
• The AirWave client also offers a locally-generated estimated heatmap and a site survey function that links actual coverage measurements to locations on the floorplan.
• Device information (Wi-Fi, IP, DHCP, cellular status) is displayed along with an implementation of the Airwave Management Client (AMC) that reports device information and scanned APs to your AirWave WLAN management system.
• A Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scanner reports nearby iBeacons and other BLE devices with UUID, index values and signal strength measurements.
• Android versions of iPerf, Ping, DNS and mDNS offer network test functionality.
• Measurements are written to a plain-text log file and various csv report files that can be emailed for use later.
WiFi Manager
WiFiman helps you locate a less crowded channel for your Wi-Fi Access Point. It lists nearby Wi-Fi channels and Bluetooth LE devices and shows you the details of those channels.
With the app, you can easily list and analyze devices connected to your current network. WiFiman scans the whole network subnet and shows you all of the available devices with the applicable details, using Bonjour, SNMP, NetBIOS, and UBNT discovery protocols.
Another core feature is the network speed test. You can test the speed of your internet connection and save the results for later comparison – or quickly share the results.
Revolution WiFi
Capacity Planner
‘How Many APs Do I Need?’
No more guessing based on device counts
or rule-of-thumb cell sizing
Quickly Analyze ‘What-If’ Scenarios
Determine the best design for your network by adjusting AP and client device types, channel width, client mix, and applications on-the-fly
Capacity Analysis (new in version 2.0!)
Visualize capacity utilization and the impact caused by client devices with varying capabilities. Data is shown by:
-
Protocol version
-
Frequency band
-
Application type (data, voip/real-time)
-
Spatial streams
-
Channel width
Mesh Network Planning
Plan 5 GHz single-channel mesh networks to determine how many root nodes are necessary to meet capacity requirements and the per-hop mesh network performance. Use an existing client capacity plan or manually configure mesh network capacity requirements.
Multiple Uses
Use the Capacity Planner for predictive WLAN design, Wi-Fi training and education, RFP proposals, project scoping, and creating a bill of materials (BOM)
Airtime vs Association
Forecast WLAN capacity based on
either client airtime demand or association limits per-AP radio
Iterative Design Approach
Use Capacity Planner in conjunction with RF planning tools in an iterative approach to derive a design that meets both coverage and capacity requirements
Website: https://www.revolutionwifi.net/capacity-planner
Twitter: @revolutionwifi
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That’s all the WiFi Tools for now that we are going to cover – if you use any WiFi Tools that we have not included in this blog post please leave a comment or reach out to us and we will update the post to include!
🙂
WN Podcast 009 – Periodic Survey – 4P Part 4
Welcome to our new WiFi Ninjas Podcast episode.
We have reached the final P in our 4 part 4Ps Survey type!
Matt has spent last few weeks on site again working on projects every single day and has recently attended the Wireless Lan Association conference in Reading in the UK and was a total blast with some great speakers talking about WiFi all day.
Mac has been swamped with project work recently too and has just got back from a well-earned yoga & meditation break to Italy with his wife Magda! Food was amazing and despite it being extremely light and healthy, they haven’t lost any weight due to pigging out every day.
Here is what we have discussed:
- What is a Periodic Survey?
- Ensure that wireless network is STILL performing optimally by conducting periodic site survey to account for changes in the dynamic WLAN environment in brownfield sites.
- Similar to Post-Deployment (see previous episode)
- Is RSSI & SNR still good?
- Channel overlapping check
- Spectrum utilisation check
- Interference check – rouges and non-WiFi wireless interference
- Problems? Still Periodic or tshooting focused Assessment?
- Why is it important to do it?
- Important to always do it, no matter the vertical nor how big or small the deployment is. Clients have general tendency to push back on doing periodic survey to save costs
- Physical environment may have
changed:
- New tenants may now occupy floors above or below and have brought new wireless devices with them causing interference on the network
- New neighbouring buildings might have been erected
- Some walls might have been put in, removed or changed
- Requirements may have changed:
- Wireless network designed for basic data connectivity might now be expected to cater for voice, video, RTLS or high density.
- Rule of thumb is to check your WiFi condition every year
- Amazing chance to tweak existing WiFi or flag a need for potential re-design to be better suited for purpose
- Periodic Survey Tools
- Ekahau / Sidekick
- See episode 2 for more info
- Pre-Reqs:
- Wireless in place
- Defined success criteria
- Access to the site
- How do you perform Periodic Survey?
- Prepared survey plans, scale them, etc.
- No need for drawing walls, but need to define areas and success criteria
- Standard passive or hybrid survey
- Office full of users, under normal load, in hours
- On-site and off-site documentation
Thanks for listening and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, feedback, subscribe or follow us on social media.