The Verification WLAN RF Design

The Verification WLAN RF Design is the third stage of the WLAN deployment model, although this stage is sometimes overlooked or not budgeted in the project’s overall scope. It’s one of the most crucial steps of the Wi-Fi design process.  After the RF design and installation of the access points, the WLAN RF needs to be tested – or, better put, verified. Just as cabling gets tested after it is installed, so should the RF environment of your Wi-Fi. This step verifies that all WLAN RF requirements are met after the installation phase.

Use Case:

• The third phase of the WLAN Deployment model is the verification of the following:
  • The WLAN RF Design (primary & secondary signal)
  • Correct installation of the access points/antennas
  • Fine-tuning of the RF parameters (TX powers, RF profiles, and capacity if applicable)
• WLAN Troubleshooting (RF, Layer One)

Added Value:

The Verification WLAN RF Design Data (Report + Ekahau file) has some added values for your project.  With the gathered data, we are happy to consult you for the following:

As-Built Document

The as-built document will show how the actual RF environment aligns with the predetermined thresholds it was designed for. The data can be used further down the line when troubleshooting different Wi-Fi problems, the RF (Layer 1) can be ruled out, and troubleshooting can start on the upper layers.

Deploying New Client Devices

Analyzing the already gathered data in the Ekahau file, we can check new client devices to see if the current WLAN RF is adequate to support them. This analysis can be a tremendous added value in cases when:

• Validating support of a new wireless device before purchase
• Before purchase, determine the best-performing device (RF-wise) for your deployed Wi-Fi network when multiple options exist

WLAN Troubleshooting (Layer 1)

WLAN troubleshooting starts at Layer 1. We highly recommend a Verification WLAN RF Design as the first step in the troubleshooting process.
The troubleshooting area can be a specific area or a whole site. The analyses result from this WLAN site survey will give us a better insight if the reported problems are RF (layer-one) related; most of the reported Wi-Fi client issues are layer-one related.
When wireless problems persist, the next step of the troubleshooting process will be analyzing layer two. Additional troubleshooting services (layer two) in the Optimization phase can be required to tackle these specific types of issues.

Need more information or a quote?

Are you interested in one of our Verification WLAN RF Design services, contact us for more information, we are more than happy to help you out.

For more information or request an RFI document, please contact us.