Testing coverage and strength

[manamaga2512]

Hi all, we are a new build Academy and have brand new networking including Aruba AP's. Our PE dept. are complaining that they cant use their laptops in the changing rooms of the sports centre (for taking regsiters etc.) due to poor wifi. I have the heatmaps supplied by the IT contractors and there looks to be plenty of coverage but I was wandering what would be the best way to 'prove' this to SLT / PE staff. Is there a free Windows tablet app that I could maybe use to show them 'live' as it were?

 

Many thanks.

[kennysarmy]

Hi all, we are a new build Academy and have brand new networking including Aruba AP's. Our PE dept. are complaining that they cant use their laptops in the changing rooms of the sports centre (for taking regsiters etc.) due to poor wifi. I have the heatmaps supplied by the IT contractors and there looks to be plenty of coverage but I was wandering what would be the best way to 'prove' this to SLT / PE staff. Is there a free Windows tablet app that I could maybe use to show them 'live' as it were?

 

Many thanks.

 

So the heat-maps prove plenty coverage but the laptops can't be used in certain locations?

 

I don't know but I'm guessing the heat-maps could be wrong....!

[AJWhite1970]

Any cheap and nasty Android tablet with Wifi Analyzer installed on it will tell you everything you need to know about wifi coverage and dead spots

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en_GB

 

HTH

[Rob_D]

Last time I was asked to do a heatmap I used the free version of Ekahau Heatmapper.

Stick it on a windows laptop/tablet, run around the changing rooms and see how your results compare to the vendor heat-maps.

 

It could be that the vendor heatmaps are just hypothetical ones, in which case they won't take things like walls and pipework into account.

[mukz]

Sometimes we have had issues with particular wifi modules not connecting to our Wifi network even though our Heat Map says it has good coverage.

You may have already done the driver/ manufacturer driver updates

You could also download the trial version of chanalyzer and see how that goes

[hardtailstar]

Are they all using the same laptops?

 

We had issues before strangely enough it was our PE department in the changing rooms too, they all had similar laptops and the wifi on the laptops were a bit rubbish. We added another AP above changing room doors and this seems to of solved the issues

[mikeprice]

i have used heatmaps from Ruckus (a while ago) and Unifi - both were based on distance and nothing else as far as I can tell - so walls etc etc made no difference to the map and it was just circular.

 

I used android wi-fi analyser as well - worked like a dream

[manamaga2512]

That's a possibility. Hence me wanting to find out for myself.

[manamaga2512]

The heatmaps I had were embedded into a PDF document and were really too small to see anything. I requested larger version from the contractor and it would appear that their heatmap is correct, because it shows very little coverage in the changing rooms! LOL So the staff are right (I hate that). Looks like someone didn't account for AP's in the changing rooms when the networking was going in.

[TechMonkey]

Last time I was asked to do a heatmap I used the free version of Ekahau Heatmapper.

Stick it on a windows laptop/tablet, run around the changing rooms and see how your results compare to the vendor heat-maps.

 

It could be that the vendor heatmaps are just hypothetical ones, in which case they won't take things like walls and pipework into account.

 

This. I very much doubt they did an actual survey after installation (I maybe wrong but, you know, contractors) so it will be a theoretical map, if all walls were made of paper and the building was empty. Get either the android app or Ekahau. I would recommend the Ekahau as it is quite comprehensive and you can actually create proper heat maps from real data. As long as you have the time to wander around the school.

Edited September 22, 2017 by TechMonkey

[mjk]

We had similar problems to this and they were really difficult to diagnose.

The best method we found was to shadow a member of staff and see the problems they were having. The situation was finally resolved by changing the head of department, all of a sudden everything was fixed !

[mukz]

This. I very much doubt they did an actual survey after installation (I maybe wrong but, you know, contractors) so it will be a theoretical map, if all walls were made of paper and the building was empty. Get either the android app or Ekahau. I would recommend the Ekahau as it is quite comprehensive and you can actually create proper heat maps from real data. As long as you have the time to wander around the school.

 

We are about to purchase the new Ekahau Sidekick. Cant wait to use it and compare the reports to the previous reports from contractors.

[Meldrew]

We sometimes have problems with laptops not switching to a better AP. They sometimes hang onto an AP really far away rather than switch to one with a better signal, due to band steerance or roaming agressiveness a bit too low. Try changing these settings (you may need to upgrade drivers first). We also seem to have some issues near to our canteen which has lots of metal around - do your changing areas have lots of metal areas?

 

Meldrew

[mavhc]

We are about to purchase the new Ekahau Sidekick. Cant wait to use it and compare the reports to the previous reports from contractors.

 

$3000? Ouch

[mukz]

We have a network team who help other schools, so not just for us

[mavhc]

DIY for $100 with SDR eg https://www.rtl-sdr.com/creating-signal-strength-heatmap-rtl-sdr/

[njc235]

Any half decent reseller would have done a pre and post site survey using Ekahau to produce actual, not predicted heatmaps. Changing rooms and toilets are often specifically stated as not required or not essential when it comes to planning wireless deployment. However, if it is on the heat map, there should be some connectivity. In the survey report, does it also show SNR, Packet loss data etc for those areas?