Good survey readiness

Good Survey Readiness? A site survey is carried out before the deployment of any hardware. The aim is to collect all data related to customer’s sites as a way of planning for minimal disruption during and after deployment.

The site survey process consists of engineers who will complete questionnaires that help gather all the data required. This typically relates to the network closet, existing cabling, existing power, HVAC conditions and any space that’s available in the network racks for new hardware.

After carrying out this comprehensive onsite survey, customers get first-hand information about all the pre-deployment work that needs to happen before new hardware is deployed. This is all based on the data gathered by engineers.

Before carrying out a wireless site survey, it’s essential that the right preparations are made. Below, we’ve listed all of the top things you need to think about before you proceed.

Your Network Adapter: a lot of the data you collect is done so via your network adapter. It’s vital that you not only have one that’s recommended and proven to work well, but also one you trust and understand. Get to know your adapter so you’re aware of how it works and how you can interpret the results with more accuracy. Use multiple adapters: following on from this, it benefits you to use more than one adapter as you can carry out multiple surveys at the same time, rather than having to do them one after the other. Importing your floor plan: you must import your floor plan, so it’s got a good enough resolution to see all the details you need to see. Also, try and minimize white space as this just takes up screen space and makes it harder to see the area. Calibrating the floor plan: you must calibrate the imported floor plan to ensure that everything is accurately calculated when conducting the survey. Our tip is to use the largest measurement on the site as it reduces the risks of errors if you’re slightly off with the dimension accuracy. Signal propagation: lastly, ensure that you set the right signal propagation value to fit the specific site. This essentially helps figure out how far your survey software assumes that any reading it receives is applicable. It’s impossible to walk every single inch within a site because of obstacles, etc. So, this value helps to create a heatmap of sorts that offers more accuracy when conducting the survey. It’s essential to do this before you start carrying out your site survey. Read more: https://www.fieldengineer.com/field-services/site-survey-readiness