1
PREPARATION
Introduction | Installing an AirConnect wireless network begins with conducting a site survey. |
| A site survey involves the use of the AirConnect Site Survey utility to determine the |
| physical requirements for a |
| analyzes the installation environment and provides users with recommendations |
| for equipment and placement. The site may be a warehouse, manufacturing plant, |
| office building, or retail space. |
| The AirConnect Site Survey utility determines the location of APs, as well as |
| the number necessary to provide optimal coverage. Only qualified site survey |
| technicians should use the AirConnect Site Survey utility to conduct site surveys. |
| When installing an AirConnect network, complete coverage may require multiple |
| antennas. If the facility is small, or the coverage area is free from physical |
| obstructions, one AP and antenna might be sufficient. |
| If you are unfamiliar with the AirConnect wireless infrastructure and the |
| components that compose it, refer to Appendix A “AirConnect Overview” |
| for an overview of AirConnect technology. |
Inspecting the | During the planning stages of the site survey, a representative from the site survey |
Survey Area | team will visit the proposed AirConnect radio coverage site. As a standard practice |
| in the site survey consultation, the representative gathers facility drawings and |
| completes a Site Survey Requirements document and a site survey questionnaire. |
| The representative documents the wiring used within the facility (10BaseT, |
| 10Base2, fiber optic) and assesses its applicability to AirConnect components. |
| Several trial installation areas should be selected. The site survey team analyzes |
| each proposed installation area to document radio transmission constraints and to |
| develop preliminary AP placement alternatives to be tested during the actual site |
| survey. The findings from the initial site inspection should be documented in a Site |
| Survey Request Form and serve as the outline of the site survey. |
| The following variables should also be considered in the site survey requirements |
| definition: |
| ■ RF systems already in use |
| ■ Location of host system(s) |
| ■ Available AC power |
| ■ Interfering metal fire breaks and wall structures |
| ■ Doorways and passages causing RF propagation |
