Office Wireless Site Survey Guide: What to Expect and Why It Matters
A wireless site survey is the foundation of a reliable enterprise Wi-Fi deployment. Skipping the survey is the most common reason for poor wireless performance in offices.
What Is a Wireless Site Survey?
A site survey is a systematic evaluation of your physical space to determine optimal access point placement, channel assignments, and power levels. It measures radio frequency (RF) behavior in your specific environment — wall materials, floor plans, interference sources, and client density.
Types of Site Surveys:
1. Predictive Survey (Pre-Deployment):
Using floor plans and wall material data, specialized software (Ekahau, iBwave) simulates RF propagation to predict AP placement before any hardware is installed. - Input: Floor plans, wall types, ceiling height, expected client density - Output: Recommended AP count and placement, channel plan, power levels - Accuracy: 85-90% (good for initial design, needs validation) - Cost: $500-2,000 depending on facility size
2. Active Survey (Post-Deployment Validation):
Walking the facility with a survey tool that connects to each AP and measures real-world performance. - Measures: Signal strength (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), throughput, packet loss, roaming behavior - Output: Heat maps showing coverage, interference, and performance across every area - Required: After any new deployment or when troubleshooting issues - Cost: $1,000-5,000 depending on facility size
3. Passive Survey (RF Environment Analysis):
Scanning the RF environment without connecting to any network. Identifies all wireless networks, interference sources, and spectrum utilization. - Measures: All visible SSIDs, channel utilization, non-Wi-Fi interference (microwave ovens, Bluetooth, wireless cameras) - Output: Interference map, channel utilization charts, rogue AP detection - Useful for: Pre-deployment planning in shared buildings (offices with neighboring tenants)
What We Measure:
| Metric | Target Value | Why It Matters | |--------|-------------|---------------| | Signal strength (RSSI) | -65 dBm or better | Strong enough for reliable data | | Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) | 25 dB or better | Clean signal without noise | | Channel utilization | Under 50% | Room for more clients | | Co-channel interference | Minimal | Adjacent APs on same channel degrade performance | | Roaming time | Under 150ms | Seamless movement for VoIP/video | | Throughput | 100Mbps+ per client | Usable speeds throughout |
Common Issues Found During Surveys:
1. **Coverage holes:** Areas with signal below -75 dBm where devices disconnect or have poor performance. Usually caused by thick walls, stairwells, or AP spacing too wide.
2. **Co-channel interference:** Multiple APs on the same channel in the same area. Each AP hears the other and waits to transmit, reducing capacity by 50% or more.
3. **Excessive AP power:** Turning APs to maximum power seems helpful but causes clients to hear multiple APs equally, leading to constant roaming and sticky client behavior.
4. **Non-Wi-Fi interference:** Microwave ovens (2.4GHz), wireless security cameras, Bluetooth devices, and building automation systems that share radio spectrum.
5. **Client steering failures:** Devices staying on 2.4GHz when 5/6GHz is available, reducing performance for everyone.
Survey Deliverables:
A professional survey report includes: - Coverage heat maps for each floor and frequency band - AP placement map with mounting details - Channel and power level assignments - Bill of materials (AP model, mount type, cable type) - Interference analysis and mitigation recommendations - Capacity planning based on expected user density
DIY vs. Professional Survey:
Free tools (Wi-Fi analyzer apps) can show signal strength at your position but can not produce heat maps, predict coverage from new AP placements, or measure co-channel interference. Professional surveys use $5,000-15,000 tools (Ekahau Sidekick, NetAlly AirCheck) that provide actionable engineering data.
Summit DNC performs wireless site surveys for offices, warehouses, hospitals, and campuses across Southern California. Every Wi-Fi deployment we install begins with a survey and ends with validation testing. Contact us to schedule a survey.
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