Businesses that use Wi-Fi in their daily operations know the importance of
a working business wireless network. If Wi-Fi fails or doesn't work properly,
productivity can stop dramatically. A bad Wi-Fi connection can be very
important to the profits of a business. More and more companies rely on
wireless detection companies to diagnose and solve their problems. Perhaps your
company is in this phase and is investigating the costs of investigating
wireless sites. If so, you are probably responsible for answering 2 key
questions for your management team: how much does a wireless site survey and a
wireless site survey cost?
Any company that needs to outsource a technology management service
often faces the same problems:
Determine a fair price for the technology service they need.
Find a provider that adequately delivers the service within your budget.
It is difficult to evaluate your options when you have limited knowledge
of what you are looking for and the problems to solve. You can find dozens of
wireless site detection companies with a simple Google search. If you dive a
little, you will notice that all these companies offer different services at
different prices. This can be quite confusing, especially since all of these
companies call their service a "wireless site survey."
What is a wireless site survey?
The first step in determining the cost of a wireless site survey is to
understand what a wireless site survey is. A wireless site survey, also known
as a Wi-Fi site survey or RF site survey, is simply the process of planning a
wireless network for a given environment to meet its unique coverage, capacity,
and requirements. , roaming, quality of service and other measures that may
need to be respected.
It is necessary to prepare an environmental plan that must be carried out.
The more detailed the floor plan, the better. The floor plan should include
dimensions and all structures that could influence wireless signal propagation,
such as elevators or stairs. The floor plan will help the wireless site
surveying company identify all proposed access point locations. It also allows
you to create heat maps that allow you to understand the strength of the
wireless signal in your environment.
The investigation of the wireless site, the report should include the
following:
Mounting positions
Cable glands description
Scope of work for the installation of a wireless network
Controller hardware required for administration
Tips for a unique needs-based setup
All necessary licenses and support
The effort required for continuous management
Recommended access point models (we prefer Ruckus wireless access points
for performance)
Is a survey on the wireless site worth it?
This response will vary from company to company, but for the most part
yes. If you're a small business that doesn't rely heavily on Wi-Fi for
day-to-day operations, you probably don't need a wireless site survey. If you
are a medium to large business with dozens of employees using Wi-Fi every day,
it is probably in your best interest to check your workplace before purchasing
the average cost of WiFi
system. Minor investments in this important service can be financially
beneficial in the long term. This will avoid costly repairs that may be necessary
if the Wi-Fi system is incorrectly configured. It will also be more suitable
for growth and expansion as your business grows.
A wireless site survey is definitely worth it if your business is:
In a place with a busy wireless environment, such as an office building
Has facilities that can cause wireless signal interference, such as a
warehouse
In a place full of many solid structures like concrete pillars.
In any environment where WiFi is an important aspect for basic
operations.
Are there different types of wireless site surveys?
There are many types of wireless site surveys and it is important to
know what type you are looking for before purchasing the wrong type of service.
Some wireless surveys can be conducted remotely using plans and thermal mapping
software, while other on-site surveys require an onsite presence and several
hours. Site studies will produce a nomenclature for WiFi distribution only,
while more advanced site studies will provide a series of wiring and installation
work, as well as a level of commitment to ongoing management and maintenance.
Let's compare two of the most common types of surveys on wireless sites:
predictive and active.
\
Predictive surveys of wireless sites
In a predictive on-site survey, a company will collect plans for its
space. They should also ask you questions about how you plan to use your WiFi
and your general needs. With the information provided, the wireless site survey
company will suggest an access point model. This template will be used to
create a heat map of your location. The heat map will include the recommended
location of the equipment and a visual representation of how the wireless
signal will spread in your environment.
A predictive site survey is generally provided free of charge. It really
is more of a sales tool than anything else. Many network equipment dealers
offer a free predictive survey to help you strike a deal. It can help transform
a simple transaction into a more personalized customer experience. Since a
predictive on-site survey is generally free, certain sacrifices are made in
terms of quality and accuracy. In most cases, when implementing more than 3
wireless access points, predictive site detection is not enough. Elements such
as access point positioning, wireless signal coverage, and network performance
are generally estimated and may require slight, if not drastic, modifications
to better suit the environment and needs.
Active surveys of wireless sites
If accuracy is the goal, then an active site survey is the way to go. An
active wireless site survey will require a site visit. It can usually take
anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the size of the location.
Active site inspection can be performed in a new environment without installing
wireless equipment. An investigation can also be carried out in a place where a
WiFi system already exists, but it needs to be repaired or configured
correctly. The final report will provide an extremely accurate plan for
equipment placement, wireless signal coverage, network performance, cabling,
and installation.
As in a predictive site survey, a floor plan should be shared and
general WiFi needs should be discussed. Here the similarities end. A wireless
engineer downloads the floor plans into your site's inspection software and
places a single access point in the space. The engineer then begins to cross
the space and measures the signal strength of the access point. Site detection
software will also measure external Wi-Fi interference from nearby wireless
networks to allow the wireless technician to provide recommendations for
channel selection and other settings.
The man hours involved in an active site survey are not limited to the
time they spend at the site. Engineers take several hours after the words to
draw the walls of other structures on the floor plans provided to provide an
even more accurate representation of the spread of the wireless signal in
space. Stairs, elevator shafts, windows and walls will have a negative impact
on the wireless signal. The building materials of the walls will also have
their effect. For example, drywall will not be as bad for wireless radio
signals as concrete.
How much does a wireless site survey cost?
The value you get from a survey on a Wi-Fi site is clear enough, but
when it comes to presenting the need to your company's CFO, the technical
requirements must translate into some kind of figure. A predictive on-site
survey should always be offered for free. Since it's more of a sales tool than
a custom report, the wireless site survey company should provide it for free.
If you're asked to pay for such a relationship, this should be a big red flag
for the company you work with and you should start exploring other options.
An active site survey is a little more difficult to determine a cost.
There are so many different variables that could affect prices. A good cost
range for a survey on a wireless site is between $ 2,000 and $ 10,000 per
survey. However, here are some factors that will affect the cost of your
wireless site survey:
Area in square feet of study area
Support requirements for specific WiFi applications
Ceiling height and lifting requirements
Creation requirements plan
The physical location of the detection environment.
WiFi hardware requirements
The time required to participate in the site survey
Report response requirements
Specific customer requirements, such as the need to conduct the survey
after hours or to complete it quickly
No comments:
Post a Comment