Once your Wi-Fi install has been completed, how do you know that everything is working as expected? They answer is an onsite Deployment Validation Survey - in this blog we'll walk you through what to expect when we arrive onsite.
The Deployment Validation Survey validates numbers and placements of wireless access points by assessing the overall wireless coverage.
This survey is performed onsite once the network has been commissioned. The engineer will walk the site taking RF measurements as they progress.
The results are used to confirm if the design meets the intended requirements and identify any remediations steps required to correct the coverage. These steps could include things like RF tuning, replacement of a fault wireless access points or potential physical moves .
This survey is relatively non-invasive and will cause no impacts to your existing network.
ASSOCIATED BLOGS:
- Wi-Fi Predictive Designs
- Wi-Fi Surveys: Overview guide to the various Wi-Fi surveys
- Wi-Fi 6E and 6GHz Explained
- Wi-Fi 6 vs 5G
Equipment Used
An Apple iPad and an Ekahau Sidekick used by the engineer to capture data & assess the wireless environment.
There's a couple of versions of the Sidekick, one of which can measure 2.4GHz and 5GHz - and another that can also measure 6GHz.
We'll make sure to attend site with the correct version of the Sidekick to make sure we can measure all the RF bands you have in operation.
ASSOCIATED BLOGS:
- Wi-Fi Surveys (Overview to the various types of RF Surveys)
- Wi-Fi Phone Dropouts
- RF Design Surveys
- Pre-Deployment Wireless Survey – What to Expect
What's Needed from You?
The onsite engineer will require access to all areas of the site in scope. They'll need some help though to orient themselves to your building - and most importantly, ensure they have access.
One of the key things we need when we get to site is access cards or keys - it really slows the survey down, if our engineers can move around easily.
If you happen to have any sensitive areas (this is quite common, for example, in hospitals) we'll work with .png?width=200&height=200&name=Pre-Deployment%20Wireless%20Survey%20(Instagram%20Post).png)
your onsite contact on how and when to obtain access to any potentially sensitive areas (or you can chaperone us, if you prefer).
As the activities can look a little strange to those who aren’t familiar, we recommend communicating to necessary parties onsite.
Providing some context on why these activities are occurring, often helps the engineer when navigating any questions from enquiring individuals.
Our team are friendly and experienced, so don't be afraid to ask any questions if you need anything clarified.
At the completion of the onsite survey, we'll head off and prepare a report. In the report we'll detail our findings and any updates you may need to make to the network (this is very uncommon - but it's always possible with Wi-Fi).
ASSOCIATED BLOGS:
Deployment Validation Survey - What to Expect: Summary
Hopefully this blog has helped in understanding what to expect when we attend site for a pre-deployment survey.
Once complete, the results from the onsite survey are compared to those in the design - any variations in the wall attenuation compared to our design are updated in the design and then any AP moves, adds or changes undertaken. The design is now ready for the cabling to be installed.
The testing onsite can capture things we would not know just from the floor plans, so we have a very high degree of certainty the wireless survey will perform exactly as expected when you commission the system.
ASSOCIATED BLOGS:
