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Once your Wi-Fi install has been completed, how do you know that everything is working as expected? The 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 remediation steps required to correct the coverage. These steps could include things like RF tuning, replacement of faulty wireless access points or potential physical moves.
This survey is relatively non-invasive and will cause no impacts to your existing network.
Equipment Used
An Apple iPad and an Ekahau Sidekick are used by the engineer to capture data & assess the wireless environment.
There are 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.
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't 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).
Deployment Validation Survey - What to Expect: Summary
Hopefully this blog has helped in understanding what to expect when we attend site for a Deployment Validation Survey.
Once complete, the measurements from the onsite survey are compared against the design requirements. Any areas that fall short are documented in our report, along with the recommended remediation - such as RF tuning, replacing a faulty access point or physically moving an AP.
Validating the network after installation gives you confidence it's performing as designed - and a baseline to compare against if issues crop up down the track.