Site Survey Guidelines

Chapter 7 Performing Diagnostics

Site Survey

Because of differences in component configuration, placement, and physical environment, every network application is a unique installation. You perform a site survey to determine the optimum utilization of networking components and to maximize range, coverage, and network performance.

Consider the following operating and environmental conditions when performing a site survey:

•Data rates—Sensitivity and range are inversely proportional to data bit rates. The maximum radio range is achieved at the lowest workable data rate. A decrease in receiver threshold sensitivity occurs as the radio data increases.

•Antenna type and placement—Proper antenna configuration is a critical factor in maximizing radio range. As a general rule, range increases in proportion to antenna height.

•Physical environment—Clear or open areas provide better radio range than closed or filled areas. Also, the less cluttered the work environment, the greater the range.

•Obstructions—A physical obstruction such as metal shelving or a steel pillar can hinder performance of the client adapter. Avoid locating the workstation in a location where there is a metal barrier between the sending and receiving antennas.

•Building materials—Radio penetration is greatly influenced by the building material used in construction. For example, drywall construction allows greater range than concrete blocks. Metal or steel construction is a barrier to radio signals.

Keep the following guidelines in mind when preparing to perform a site survey:

•Perform the site survey when the RF link is functioning with all other systems and noise sources operational.

•Set your client adapter’s RF Transmit level at different settings to determine the minimum level required to cover the wireless cell.

•Execute the site survey entirely from a mobile station. Move the mobile computer to the locations where you plan to use wireless devices and record signal strength and signal quality information.

Site Survey Diagnostic Tools

The following diagnostic tools can be used to perform a site survey:

•Advanced parameters status screen—provides signal strength, signal quality, and data rate of the access point signal.

•Advanced parameters scanner screen—displays a list of detected access points configured for broadcast SSID and provides the signal strength and the transfer rates supported by the selected access point.

•LSM scanner tool—provides a graphical display that shows the signal strength of all detected access points configured for broadcast SSID.

For more information about using diagnostic tools, refer to the corresponding sections in this chapter.

Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Client Adapters Installation and Configuration Guide for Mac OS

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