Improve the performance of your existing school WiFi

At Redway Networks, we’re specialists in WiFi and known for our great WiFi design. It’s in our DNA and is the building blocks to a superior wireless network as however great the products, its the WiFi design that underpins the network performance. Wireless that’s poorly designed won’t be an asset but will affect the performance and security of your school’s network.

Post-Installation Surveys

We focus on the finer details and our in-depth knowledge of school wireless networks, quality of our professional onsite surveys (performed using Ekahau) and WiFi reports delivered in an extensive but easy to digest format, that sets us apart from other IT vendors.

A post-installation professional, onsite WiFi or troubleshooting survey will highlight coverage and if capacity meets your school’s requirements in addition to giving you the assurance moving forward that your new wireless network has been properly designed for current and future usage.

Extensive WiFi experience

Our certified network engineers have extensive experience within the education sector and will deliver a ‘gold standard’ service for WiFi surveys using Ekahau’s heat-mapping software – recognised as the world’s leading analysis tool.

Accurate WiFi Signal

When performing a post-installation Wi-Fi survey or a troubleshooting survey we can conduct both an active and passive WiFi survey. During an active survey, the WiFi adapter is connected to the WiFi access point to measure signal strength and noise levels, as well as round-trip time, throughput rates, packet loss, re-transmissions and roaming performance. However, an active survey will give your school a more accurate indication of WiFi signal. During a passive survey, the site survey application passively listens to WLAN traffic, measuring signal strength and overlap between adjacent WiFi access points. By performing both an active and passive WiFi survey, we can report on potential issues beyond just signal coverage and an active survey will give a more accurate indication of WiFi signal.

Spectrum Analysis

We can provide a complete spectrum analysis which includes the detection, measurement and recording of RF interference that could degrade the performance of your wireless network. Interference such as microwaves or legacy wireless devices can have a serious impact on your WiFi network . During a post-installation survey we perform a spectrum analysis to highlight any interference detection from devices that are not transmitting constantly. We will conduct WiFi throughput testing which enables us to go one step further in verifying the actual capacity of your school’s WiFi network. Whilst a WiFi survey accurately determines connected data rate, performing a throughput test is a more accurate method for determining your WiFi network performance. We will provide all relevant configuration settings to maximise the performance and stability of your WiFi including radio channels, antennas and transmit power levels of each wireless access point to provide the most stability for your new WiFi design or new wireless network deployment.

If your school or college would like to book a WiFi survey, contact our sales team today.

Wireless network performance is akin to business performance these days; productivity, efficiency, automation all rely on agile connectivity which can make or break your organisation. Consequently, it goes without saying that if you’re experiencing problems with your Wi-Fi, you can’t afford to let them go unresolved. A professional wireless survey is the best way to resolve any issues both in terms of efficiency, ensuring a thorough job is done, and also to give you certainty that your solutions won’t cause additional problems down the line.

A wireless survey needs to be conducted by a qualified professional who can draw on years of experience, industry best practice, uses the most accurate and informative tools, and can make recommendations and a fresh design based on emerging technology and industry changes. An experienced Wi-Fi engineer can use these tools and techniques to make data-driven decisions regarding your new network that remove the risk of wasted IT budget on a failed deployment, and make sure your solution responds perfectly to the needs of your organisation.

Benefits of a professional wireless network survey include:

How should you pick the right kind of survey?

Choosing the right type of Wi-Fi survey will largely depend on the type of organisation you work for, your timescale and your budget. Our whole focus as a business is on offering a bespoke service that puts your organisation and its needs at the centre. Although you could label our surveys as either active or passive, they’re always tailored to our clients, giving you the insight you need within the right timescale, cost and convenience.

We plan a wireless survey entirely around your organisation by taking the time to get to know your requirements, problems, and business objectives. We don’t make assumptions on the type of survey you need before we fully understand why you need it, and how we can help you move towards an optimally performing network. We focus on providing services that have actionable, positive outcomes to help support your IT department and push your organisation forward, and that starts with our surveys.

What types of Wi-Fi survey do we offer?

Passive, predictive surveys

Our remote WiFi surveys rely on both your floorplans and usage insight to create a simulated version of your wireless LAN that takes variables like square footage, wall types, user requirements, applications and many others into account. We can create different Wi-Fi heat maps to create simulated designs that will deliver optimum performance, whether you’re looking to improve your existing wireless network or design a new one.

These types of survey are convenient and quick so we can get to the bottom of your network performance quickly and work towards solutions faster. They’re also a more affordable option than a full site survey with a visit from one of our network engineers.

Validation surveys

Although passive surveys are a great option for designing a new wireless network, we are predicting performance against a simulated environment. At Redway we don’t consider our job done until you’re 100% satisfied with the result, and consequently, with passive surveys we always recommend following up with a verification survey post-install to ensure your new solution is offering the predicted performance. Validation surveys help ensure the best possible performance through optimising configuration based on a live, active network that is in situ. They are an affordable way of ensuring a successful design that won’t require potentially costly fixes down the line.

Active, site surveys

Aforementioned passive or predictive surveys are best used in simple environments with little interference, low density/capacity. For many organisations, this isn’t the best way to go about designing a new network, especially in busy workplaces like warehouses or offices with lots of interference from machinery, metal, or surrounding offices. An active, on-site survey is the most accurate and informative type of Wi-Fi survey available, and is strongly advised by our engineers in these high-risk environments where predicting performance against a simulated design is harder.

Our network engineers walk the entirety of your site, capturing live data and mapping real-time performance against your floorplans. This means we can account for extenuating circumstances such as interference, prove times between APs, and pinpointing signal loss. Only an active survey will give us the ability to mimic real-life scenarios at your workplace, looking at spectrum analysis, RSSI, latency, the seamlessness of roaming and capacity checks.

An active or site survey makes installation a smoother process by eliminating surprises that take time and potentially additional costs to work around.

How long does a Wi-Fi survey take?

How long your survey takes depends on the size of your site(s), how many rooms there are, and the level of interference encountered on our engineers’ survey walk from electronics, metals, walls and building structures, contents of the building and any other networks in close proximity. A medium sized site on average takes around 1-2 days for the survey walk, and additional time for our engineers to put together a comprehensive report containing a new Wi-Fi network design. We then schedule a time to present the findings in a fully immersive and simulated WebEx.

How do we present our findings from your Wi-Fi survey?

How are our surveys different to our competitors?

What if you have questions about your wider network infrastructure?

Your wireless network is only part of the wider picture. As your network gets increasingly complex, you may find that a broader understanding of product performance and longevity is helpful, from switches to cabling. This is where our network audits come in. These audits look at your entire network, and provide an in-depth assessment of your hardware, configuration, architecture and security, enabling you to see clearly where your current network is not giving the performance you need.

As with our wireless surveys, these are performed by our highly qualified network engineers, giving you a comprehensive report that in-house staff may not have the time, resource, experience or equipment to produce.

Rest assured, we don’t put pressure on you to revamp your entire IT infrastructure all at once. Our network audit reports are produced on a ‘traffic light system’ basis with immediate, medium term and long-term actions. Find out more about our network audits.

Earlier this month, market experts Ekahau launched their latest WiFi survey software update, making Ekahau Survey available on iPhones as well as iPads. Currently Ekahau offer the only enterprise standard WiFi survey tool for mobile devices including tablets.

Our in-house wireless engineer Stewart put the latest update to the test at a construction site WiFi survey last week in the Netherlands. Here are his thoughts:

1. Augmented Reality Improves Usability

The most noteworthy update from the newest version of Ekahau Connect is the ‘Auto Pilot’ survey feature. Traditionally, survey engineers would have to plot their location on a floor plan, walk in a straight line, then plot their location again when they change direction. Auto Pilot allows the engineer to plot their initial location and, using Augmented Reality, walk the entirety of their client’s site without having to re-plot their location with every change of direction. This speeds up survey readings by 33% and ensures more accurate survey results because the software measures the engineer’s walking speed and current location in real-time. This also means the data produced can form a better WiFi network design. “It made a highly accurate and informative survey much, much easier to conduct” says Stewart.

2. Forget Worrying About Pace

The update also means that changes in the engineer’s walking pace do not affect readings, which proved invaluable on a large site where – like most – walking speed cannot be kept steady due to doorways, traffic (human or automotive!), cramped spaces or areas with lots of obstructions.

3. Improved Accuracy

The latest update also allows heatmaps to show very minor changes in direction that couldn’t be seen with Ekahau Connect without manual intervention by the engineer. The previous iteration of the software would attribute readings to a straight line, even if the engineer had deviated from this path to move around an obstruction.

The newest version of Ekahau Connect tracks these deviations using augmented reality and attributes readings to the actual walked route rather than the planned route. This ensures that a new network can be designed with fewer inaccuracies or unaccounted for obstructions.

4. Survey Equipment is Lighter for Travel

Ekahau for iPhone reduces the amount of equipment an engineer needs to take to surveys, which is an appreciated update, especially when travelling overseas!

5. Site Surveys are Safer to Coduct

Autofiring readings means surveyors can focus on their direction and surroundings. So many of our WiFi surveys take place in busy environments like warehouses, where accidents can happen easily. “I spent far less time thinking about where I was going to walk and more time thinking about potential issues with an existing solution, or a suitable design for a new wireless solution” says Stewart.

So are there any limitations of the upgrade? Stewart says yes: “although this update will be fantastic in most situations, tight spaces may be more difficult. In these locations I’ll probably be reverting back to the other methods of survey that Ekahau Connect provides”.

If you would like more information on the range of WiFi surveys we offer internationally, please head to our WiFi Surveys page to get in touch.

You may never have considered a WiFi survey before, but when it comes to improving network performance – or planning a new network – it’s the gold standard for providing the most accurate and all-encompassing information about your specific system and how it could be supporting your organisation better.

Before considering a survey, it’s important to understand the impact of not resolving network issues.

Understand the true impact of WiFi downtime

If you’re considering a new wireless network, you may well be experiencing WiFi downtime and signal dead spots. These are extremely damaging to your business’ processes, operations and services which will, over time, increasingly impact your revenue and profit through lowered efficiency; if your employees, clients, students, or service users cannot connect to the network, they cannot be productive.

Lack of a strong digital experience could even drive them to your competitors due to frustration and feeling like other organisations can offer a more seamless service. Many network managers compensate for poor performance with additional hardware, often spending a great deal in the process. This frequently causes more problems than it solves and we often see overlapping signal causing poor AP handovers and worse dropouts than before.

So, what do WiFi site surveys give you? We explore below what they offer in terms of actionable insights.

Customised Analysis

Every location and environment is unique, with different physical layouts, building materials, and potential sources of interference. An on-site survey allows the network engineer to assess these factors and tailor the WiFi network design and configuration accordingly, taking into account requirements of your organisation and any challenges.

Determine Optimal AP Placement

An on-site survey helps determine the optimal placement of access points (APs) to ensure adequate signal coverage throughout the desired areas. By measuring signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal quality at various points in the environment, the survey helps identify potential dead zones or areas with weak coverage. Experienced engineers can also take into account any expected changes to your site, and even map out AP placement off architectural plans.

Identifying Interference Risks

Interference from other wireless devices, neighbouring networks, or physical obstacles such as metals or electrical equipment can significantly impact WiFi performance for the worse. During an on-site survey, network engineers can identify and analyse potential sources of interference, such as machinery, equipment, or other wireless signals. By understanding the interference patterns, they can adjust channel selections, optimise channel bandwidth, and make configuration changes to minimise the impact of interference.

Network Capacity Planning

In some ways, everything stems from your usage requirements. An on-site survey helps assess the number of concurrent users and devices in the environment, which is essential for network capacity planning. By analysing your usage patterns in situ, the survey enables network engineers to determine the appropriate number of APs, their configuration, and the required bandwidth to support the expected user load effectively. This ensures that the WiFi network can handle the anticipated traffic without performance degradation.

Performance Analysis & Troubleshooting

During an on-site WiFi survey, the network engineer can perform various measurements to evaluate network performance, including testing throughput, latency, and packet loss to identify potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement.

By analysing these metrics in real-world conditions – and in situ – remedial adjustments can easily be made to optimise network settings, QoS parameters, and other configuration options for better performance, as well as giving engineers a breadth of information with which to design a new network.

Cost Savings

An on-site wireless survey guarantees you are only buying the hardware you need for an optimally performing network. Remedial actions after-the-fact tend to be costly, time consuming, and not as successful as getting it right first time. It also means engineers can recommend solutions armed with more data and insight, and won’t recommend products out of budget or unable to offer the service you need.

Validation of Design/Configuration

An on-site survey helps validate the effectiveness of the WiFi network design and configuration by comparing the expected coverage and performance against the actual results. It provides an opportunity to identify any discrepancies and make necessary adjustments to ensure the network meets the desired performance goals. The best players in wireless networking should offer this as standard to ensure you’re happy with the end-result of your new solution.

Only on-site surveys can guarantee 100% coverage and a design specific to your exact requirements, challenges and budget. If an on-site survey isn’t an option, there are several other options. Remote surveys, called passive or predictive surveys, can offer great insight into your network performance, however interference and complications relating to your physical site cannot be as easily factored into your design.

Do You Need A WiFi Site Survey At Your Premises?

There are many reasons why you could be considering a WiFi site survey. From installing new wireless systems to upgrading and improving your current service, site surveys are designed to optimise coverage and performance across your premises.

Skilled technicians with the right equipment and knowledge can carefully test service across all parts of your building or site, before making recommendations to improve access for you. We always advise a WiFi site survey. Without it, we cannot offer a maximum coverage guarantee, nor can we ensure that your investment in a new network will give you the performance and flexibility you need to push your business forward.

There are also many types of site surveys depending on what your business needs – they are not a ‘one size fits all’. Whether you need to find and fix existing faults, design a new network entirely, or upgrade your current solution, a WiFi site survey should be designed around the things you need to understand. If you’re curious about the various types of WiFi survey, and which is the right fit for you, just visit out page on wireless site surveys.

When it comes to wireless networks, hands down, the most common cause of premature poor performance, inability to meet requirement, or obsolescence is poor Wi-Fi planning during the design stage.

In recent years, the demand for networks that can support increasing devices, platforms and applications has grown exponentially, placing even more pressure on the underlying foundations of your IT architecture; those with poor designs are becoming more and more evident as the pressure on networks grows.

Planning a next-generation Wi-Fi network requires careful consideration of various factors to ensure optimal performance and scalability, and getting this stage wrong is both a costly and highly frustrating mistake to make. The cost of a disappointing digital experience for end users is not to be underestimated in today’s world, in addition to the elevated costs of managing a cumbersome network with frequent problems.

As experts in the field, we’re going to share our tips for Wi-Fi planning and design to help your organisation safeguard against a network that becomes legacy ahead of its time.

So, how do I plan a Wi-Fi network?

Planning a new wireless network can feel like a daunting process, but below we’ve listed some key questions to ask yourself to get off to the best start.

– What are my current needs and future requirements?

Before embarking on planning a next-generation Wi-Fi network, it is crucial to assess the current needs of users and anticipate future requirements. This assessment involves evaluating the number of devices, the types of applications, and the desired coverage area. Understanding these factors will help determine the capacity and scalability needed for the network.

– How to choose the right Wi-Fi standard?

The next step is to choose the appropriate WiFi standards that align with the network requirements. The latest WiFi standards, such as IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and the upcoming 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), offer significant improvements in speed, capacity, and reliability. Evaluating the benefits of each standard in terms of throughput, latency, and support for multiple devices is crucial for future-proofing the network.

– How do I design for capacity and coverage?

Designing a next-generation WiFi network involves optimizing both capacity and coverage. It is essential to consider factors such as building layout, physical obstructions, and user density. Conducting a site survey and using network planning tools can help identify potential coverage gaps, interference sources, and optimal access point placement. Additionally, deploying a mesh network or using beamforming technology can enhance coverage and improve capacity in high-density areas.

– What about network segmentation and security?

As WiFi networks grow in complexity and size, network segmentation becomes crucial. Dividing the network into multiple virtual LANs (VLANs) or subnets allows for better security, improved traffic management, and increased network efficiency. Each segment can have different access controls, quality of service (QoS) policies, and security measures to protect sensitive data.

– How will I implement quality of service (QoS)?

Quality of Service is vital in ensuring that critical applications receive priority and adequate bandwidth. By implementing QoS policies, network administrators can prioritize specific applications, such as voice or video conferencing, over less time-sensitive traffic. This improves user experience, reduces latency, and ensures efficient utilization of network resources.

– What about network monitoring and management?

To maintain optimal performance, a next-generation WiFi network requires robust monitoring and management capabilities. Network administrators should invest in network management systems that provide real-time monitoring, traffic analysis, and troubleshooting tools. These tools enable proactive identification of network issues, capacity planning, and performance optimization.

– How do I future-proof a wireless network?

Planning for the future is essential when designing a next-generation WiFi network. Considering emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), is crucial. These technologies will place additional demands on the network, requiring higher bandwidth and lower latency. By ensuring scalability and flexibility in the network design, future upgrades can be seamlessly incorporated.

Other considerations…

– Think about a professional Wi-Fi survey

A sure-fire way to make sure you kick off the process of designing a new wireless network to a great start is a Wi-Fi survey done by specialists in the field. This should give you a full report, detailing where and why your current network has failed to give your organisation the performance it needs, covering layout, interference, AP mounting locations and expected capacity requirements.

The cost of a Wi-Fi survey varies, and any provider worth their weight will always offer a bespoke service that delves into your exact requirements and uses accurate, industry leading survey tools, such as Ekahau. Cheaper survey tools don’t offer the accuracy needed when planning to invest in a future-ready network, don’t examine packet loss, and often they only detect Wi-Fi interference, not non-Wi-Fi interference coming from electronics, metals or radar events (as common examples!). We’ve seen so many instances of this causing poorly performing wireless networks, from schools to warehouses.

– Is Wi-Fi 6 a must?

No, Wi-Fi 6 is not a MUST. That said… the latest standard brings unparalleled performance when it comes to speed, capacity and dealing with high-density environments. As more devices and applications demand higher bandwidth and lower latency, the latest standards will step into their own, outweighing the cost-savings of older ones. Devices are also increasingly equipped with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities, so adopting the standard now can ensure future compatibility.

– Don’t forget the wire!

Your new Access Points will connect back to a wired network, so it’s always beneficial to consider both elements in tandem to get the best possible end-performance. Will the switches and cabling support the throughput required for the demands of your new Wi-Fi network? Will the new Wi-Fi network introduce new bottlenecks on your wired network? These are questions that need to be considered in the context of your end-result performance.

So, what’s the crux of it?

In conclusion, planning a next-generation Wi-Fi network involves careful assessment, strategic decision-making, and future-proofing. By understanding the current needs and future requirements, selecting appropriate standards, optimising capacity and coverage, implementing network segmentation and security, prioritising QoS, and investing in network monitoring and management, organisations can build a Wi-Fi network that delivers high-speed, reliable, and scalable connectivity – that brings the greatest possible ROI.

Taking the time to plan your wireless network carefully is an investment in the future productivity of your business, and cutting corners now will cost you significantly later on. We offer a range of wireless site surveys to assist with the planning and design of your wireless network, just take a look.

With clients who want to implement WiFi over a wide area, it’s important to have a wireless site survey done. Without it, there’s a high likelihood that, whether it’s an education WiFi setup, enterprise WiFi or any other implementation, users won’t get the best coverage and reception.

A wireless site survey can also be useful with existing installations if there are signal quality issues in certain locations. Redway Networks’ professional standards mean that we want to achieve the best service for our clients and a wireless site survey goes a long way to ensuring success.

What types of wireless site surveys are there?

Redway Networks go around the whole area that’s to be covered and assess the issues that a wireless network might face. The survey can be active – connecting to existing equipment and measuring packets – or passive – monitoring existing radio frequency (RF) signals without connecting.

There are also predictive surveys where sophisticated planning tools are used rather than measuring in the field. Detailed plans and blueprints are required and this form of survey is usually used at the planning stage of buildings where a wireless network is to be installed.

What does a wireless site survey look for?

There are a number of considerations:

  1. Equipment placement – where to place access points, aerials and other equipment to achieve the most economical and efficient wireless signal spread.
  2. Potential signal blockers in buildings – thick stone walls, old lead-based paint etc.
  3. Channel conflicts and interference from other WiFi installations that need to be worked around.
  4. Interference from other sources that use radio waves like cordless phones, microwave ovens, wireless security systems etc.

There are, of course, overlaps in most of these areas – for example, access point placement may be governed by potential conflicts with sources of interference just as much as the nature and layout of the buildings involved.

An education WiFi or enterprise WiFi setup is likely to have many sources of interference in the vicinity, as well as potential conflicts with neighbouring WiFi setups to take into account.

Get the best from your Wireless installation.

A wireless site survey carried out by professionals is well worth doing, whether it’s for a building that hasn’t yet been built, a new wireless installation in an existing building, or to find out why an existing installation isn’t performing as it should.

Contact us or request a wireless site survey online today.