Site

Survey Overview
During the Fall Semester of 2013, Apogee consultants performed a comprehensive
wireless network site survey. This survey provided ITS and our constituent working
groups with the information to improve wireless performance to meet current and
future needs.

The physical site survey required consultants went room to room, building by building,
analyzing current access point (AP) placement, room design, set-up and capacity. They
also analyzed building materials and other components that affect wireless
performance. This completed survey gave us a clear picture of how many access points
are needed, where the additional gear should be placed, and in what density.

The site survey report included the following information:

Multi-floor Wi-Fi network plan based on Ithacas RFP requirements*

Map of recommended survey routes and access point placement per building, per floor.
Network health of the wireless network based on the coverage and performance
requirements set.
Heat Map of coverage, overlap and performance of each location
Heat Map of throughput for each location
Heat Map of the access point audible for each location
Heat Map of channel overlap for each location
Heat Map of signal strength for each location
Heat Map of signal to noise ratio for each location
Heat Map of interference/noise for each location
Heat Map of connectivity per AP by location

* Our requirements were to move the campus from an older model of simple wi-fi coverage, to a new
modern design based on room capacity that also assumed users carrying more than 2 devices each.


Example of the site survey reports
Apogee generated a site survey report for each building, identifying and analyzing
current access point (AP) placement, room design, set-up and capacity. Here is an
example of what some of that report looks like. While the reports raw technical data
can seem complicated, their team visualized the information into a more friendly set of
images in order to communicate clearly what work needs to be done.

Please note that the following example is for illustrative purposes only.