Equipment for a modern, capable, secure network isn’t simply unboxed, plugged in, and left alone. A robust network is planned by understanding the number of users, throughput requirements and the building’s physical environment, and overall investment budget.
Why Get a Professional Site Survey?
Today, wireless connectivity is essential to services’ mission-critical business operations, security, access control, asset tracking, consumer metrics, building management, wireless VoIP and more. Demand for these services continues to grow, and requirements for a dense coverage design that supports high speed throughput and low latency are the norm.
Layer One Technologies has embraced this evolution and offers surveys to service our clients’ needs. We utilize modern equipment, software, and ongoing training to offer our customers an array of options beyond cabling and deploying equipment such as Predictive Wireless Site Surveys, Pre-Deployment Wireless Site Surveys, Post-Deployment/Validation Wireless Site Surveys, and Diagnostic/Troubleshooting Wireless Site Surveys. These surveys provide empirical data needed to properly design, fund, and maintain a robust wireless infrastructure capable of serving current and future needs.
Types of Wireless Surveys for Your Charlotte Business
Predictive Wireless Site Survey
This is often the starting point of the Wi-Fi design process for upfitting a new building or upgrading existing Wi-Fi infrastructures to accommodate newer technologies (e.g. moving from a 2.4GHz footprint a 5GHz footprint). Our design team utilizes information about building construction materials and its contents (e.g. equipment racking, stock, cubicles, etc.) along with customer requirements of throughput, coverage, number of users and applications (e.g. wireless VoIP handsets) to create a visual model (heat map and report) which reveals the quantity and locations of wireless access points required. Once the initial design is created, we can easily modify it to accommodate many “what if?” scenarios.
Pre-Deployment Wireless Survey
After narrowing down the details of access point type, antenna, and customer use, a pre-deployment survey is warranted. Our technicians use an access point and gather data by sampling several locations of the building or area to be covered. This survey also gathers information about any nearby wireless networks and helps identify channel selection of each AP so interference can be minimized. Reports and heat maps are similar to the Predictive Survey, but are derived from actual site and AP information.
Post-Deployment/Validation Wireless Site Survey
Now, you’ve installed the Wi-Fi network and it’s operational. Are there any gaps in coverage? Did alterations in construction have undesirable effects? Is the throughput at the levels expected? A Post-Deployment Survey will validate that all requirements are being met.
Diagnostic Wireless Site Survey
Things were working great…until they weren’t. Despite a great wireless design, good equipment and a trusted IT Staff, problems occur. A Diagnostic Wireless Survey can identify the problem so it can be addressed with the appropriate resources. Did a neighbor upgrade their wireless and now share some of the same channels as your network? Did someone install wireless printers and not know to turn off the radios? Is the power source for the new gantry crane causing EMI? Have the number of client devices grown beyond the margin originally planned? Networking technology is not static. It occasionally needs tuning, additional devices and/or updating. A Diagnostic Survey can identify problems so they can be addressed.
Contact Layer One for Wi-Fi Site Surveys in Charlotte
Layer One Technologies provides superior wireless network surveys for businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina and surrounding areas. We are dedicated to providing superior solutions that fit your business needs. Contact us today for a quote on your project.
