Best Practices for

Better Enterprise Wi-Fi Networks

1 Requirements
Coverage: Capacity:

3.3
- Area to cover - Number of end user Wi-Fi The average number
- Optimize for 2.4 (lower cost) devices of connected devices
or 5GHz (capacity)? - Applications run on each per knowledge worker
- Use VoIP, video or data? device type by 2014
Cisco IBSG Horizons BYOD and Virtualization Survey
Report

Number of users

Area to cover Applications to use

HD video
E-mail

Best Practices End user devices

Web browsing / FTP
Skype,…
- Optimize for 5G if enough $ Global Mobile Data
- Data: -75dBm Traffic will increase
- VoIP: -67dBm 13X from 2012 - 2017.
Cisco® Visual Networking Index Global Mobile
- RTLS: 3APs at -75dBm, corner placement Data Traffic Forecast for 2012 to 2017

- Talk to the network users!

2 Wi-Fi Planning - Predictive Survey

Figure out where to place the APs, and how to configure them.

Best Practices
- The more time you use to plan, the less
you’ll spend on-site
Walls and Floors
- Garbage in, garbage out: Use high-quality
Dry wall attenuates 2-4dB.
Brick wall, 6-10dB.
maps. Draw the main walls
Floor attenuates typically - Set the scale carefully, using a long wall
30-40dBm - Don’t overdo it: Usually you don’t need to
define walls separately
- Pay attention to floor-to-floor RF leakage: It
can work for your benefit, or against you
(interference)
Antennas
Use directional antennas to
keep the signal in building,
with very high capacity and
high-floor environments.
AP Locations
Driven by coverage and
Channels capacity requirements.
Use auto-RF (self-
healing, easy) or
assign manually
Technologies
(keep control).
Latest tech provides highest
speeds, 2nd latest may be
cost-effective.

3 Pre-Deployment Site Survey

Use one or a couple of APs to make real-world signal measurements prior to purchasing all infrastructure.
“AP on a stick”

It’s time consuming. AP on-a-stick how-to

Do I have to do it? 1. Power up an AP (or APs) in selected locations
2. Perform walk-through survey around the AP(s)
You ask 3 different Wi-Fi professionals, you
get 3 different answers. 3. Move the AP(s) NOTE: freeze the APs in the
survey tool when moved
We’d say, do at least 2 of these 3 4. Power up the AP
- Predictive design 5. Perform walk-through survey around the AP(s)
- Pre-deployment survey
- Post-deployment survey

4 Validation Site Survey aka Post-Deployment Survey

Verify coverage, connectivity and capacity with a single walk-through throughout the site – after Wi-Fi has been deployed.

Walking speed?
As fast as you want, if you
have 2 or more external
Wi-Fi adapters.

Glossary
Active survey = measure packets in two
directions (send & receive). Used for packet
Make Your Surveying Life Easier
loss, packet delay,…
1. Cut your surveys in short segments
Passive survey = listen to probes & beacons 2. Use touch screen
passively. Used for coverage & SNR maps, 3. Get a lighter tablet or laptop
etc.
4. Get several people to survey
Hybrid survey = passive & active 5. Use a Segway ;)
simultaneously

5 Troubleshooting
Verify coverage, connectivity and capacity with a single walk-through throughout the site – after Wi-Fi has been deployed.

Eliminating Wi-Fi interference

(Co-channel and adjacent channel)
- Perform a quick survey
- Check channel separation
- Reduce AP Tx power
How to identify?
- Stagger APs between floors
- Customers complaining
- Neutralize interfering rogue APs - APs monitoring the network
Resolving capacity problems
- Play nice with your neighbors - Dedicated Sensors
- Move to 5GHz - Periodic site surveys / S.A.
- Reduce SSIDs - NEW: client-side monitoring
- Ensure channels are OK
- Add APs
- Use directional antenna
- Migrate to newer techs

Troubleshooting Tools Interference Sources

Wi-Fi infrastructure tools (NCS, Airwave, etc) - Microwave ovens
- Wireless cameras
- Wireless mics
Spectrum Analyzer (Ekahau, Metageek) Eliminating - Bluetooth
Non-Wi-Fi Interference - Zigbee
Packet Analyzer (WildPackets) . Wireless speakers
- Fire up spectrum analyzer
- Cordless phones
Site Survey Tool (Ekahau) - See what’s 802.11 and what’s not
- Identify non-802.11
Android Tool (Ekahau) - Locate interferer
- Smash it or cope with it
Packet visualizer (Metageek)

Top 10 Tips for High-Performance Wi-Fi

1 Minimize the number of SSIDs 6 Teach yourself Wi-Fi

2 Line of sight is king. Don’t place APs in a

box, avoid false ceilings 7 Talk to network users

3 Get some help 8 Be nice to people

4 Use 5GHz as much as possible 9 Coverage is king

5 Use the right tools 10 Capacity is the new coverage

(A big thank you to Jim Florwick and Keith Parsons for contributing to the tips)

Go to www.ekahau.com/wifidesign to learn more about Ekahau Wi-Fi Tools.

Download a free Ekahau Site Survey Evaluation Version at
www.ekahau.com/wifidesign/ekahau-site-survey