Analyzing The Wi-Fi Coverage and Performance - Ekahau Wi-Fi Design-5

Analyzing the Wi-Fi Coverage and Performance - Ekahau Wi-Fi Desig...
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From Ekahau Wi-Fi Design documentation

There are various visualizations that allow you to estimate network coverage and
performance. The visualizations are displayed as "heat maps" on the map image.
The displayed visualization is selected using the two drop-down menus above the
map window. The default visualization is Signal Strength for My Access Points. The
first drop-down menu selects the visualization type, for example signal strength or
data rate. The second drop-down selects what access points will be included in the
visualization. If you want to visualize signal strength for one access point only, for
example, you would select Show Signal Strength for Selected Access Points and just
select the AP you want to see the signal strength for. The AP can be selected either
from the map, or from the AP list.
When the visualization is displayed, roll over the map with the mouse to see the
actual values on the map at a given point as a tooltip.
ESS User Guide
1. Introduction
1. Overview
2. Features
3. Technical Support
4. Backward Compatibility
5. Check for Updates
2. Installation
1. System Requirements and
Software Limitations
2. Supported Wi-Fi Adapters
3. How to Install
4. Evaluation Version
3. Designing, Deploying and
Troubleshooting Wi-Fi
Networks
1. Wi-Fi Design Life Cycle
2. Ekahau Site Survey and
Other Wi-Fi Tools
4. User Interface Overview
1. Map View
2. Planning and Survey Tabs
3. Visualization Selections
4. Toolbar
5. The Access Point List
6. Working with the Access
Point List
7. The Surveys List
8. The Building View
9. Mini Status Views
10. Menus
11. Software Preferences
5. Starting to work with Ekahau
Site Survey
1. Starting Ekahau Site
Survey
2. Setting the Map and Scale
3. Defining Network
Requirements
6. Designing a Wi-Fi Network
1. Defining the Environment
2. Designing Wi-Fi
Networks for Multi-Floor
Buildings
3. Creating a Network Plan
with Auto-Planner
4. Creating the Network Plan
Manually Using Simulated
APs
5. Optimizing Channel Plan
7. Site Surveys - Ensuring
Sufficient Coverage and
Performance On-Site
1. Performing Site Surveys
2. Post-Deployment and
Pre-Deployment Surveys
3. Placing Access Points on
the Map
4. Selecting My Access
Points
5. Simultatenous Survey
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Work: Merging Two

Projects as One
6. Inspecting Surveys in
More Detail
8. Analyzing the Wi-Fi Coverage
and Performance
1. Visualization Options
2. Adjusting the Legend
3. Visualization Views
4. Different Survey Methods
vs. Visualizations
5. Visualization Statistics
9. Troubleshooting - Detecting
and Solving the Most Common
Wi-Fi Problems
1. On-Spot Troubleshooting
Using Live Network
Status
2. Troubleshooting After the
Survey
3. Troubleshooting
Non-Wi-Fi Interference
Using Spectrum Analyzer
10. Reporting and Exporting
1. Report Generator
2. Report Templates
3. Creating Report Templates
4. Exporting Images
5. Survey Statistics
11. Cisco Prime NCS / WCS
Integration
1. Importing Floor Maps
from Cisco Prime NCS /
WCS
2. Exporting the Project to
Cisco Prime NCS / WCS
File Format
3. Importing the Project into
Cisco Prime NCS / WCS
12. Real-Time Location Tracking
(RTLS) Features
13. Troubleshooting
14. Additional_Information
1. Meru Virtual Cell
2. Ekahau Throughput
Server
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1. Visualization type
2. Visualized access points
3. Quick band selection
4. Refresh visualization button - Uncheck the box to manually refresh the visualization
5. Visualization options
6. Editing legend
NOTE
Automatic refresh option refreshes the visualization automatically when changes are made. Automatic refresh
works well for small and medium-sized projects. If you are working with a large project, you may want to
disable the automatic refresht to keep the software running smoothly, and only refresh the visualization when
needed.
For quick reference for different visualizations, check the List of Visualizations page.
NOTE
In order to see any visualization, surveys need to be recorded, or at least one simulated access point needs to be
placed on the map.
Contents
1 Visualization Options
1.1 Visualization Mode
1.2 Signal Prediction
1.3 Visualization Specific Options
2 Adjusting the Legend
3 Visualization Views
3.1 Associated Access Point
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3.2 Capacity: Clients per AP

3.3 Capacity Health
3.4 Channel Bandwidth
3.5 Channel Coverage
3.6 Channel Overlap
3.7 Data Rate
3.8 Interference / Noise
3.9 Network Health
3.10 Network Issues
3.11 Number of APs
3.12 Packet Loss
3.13 Round-Trip Time
3.14 Signal Strength
3.15 Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)
3.16 Throughput (Max)
3.17 Difference in Interference
3.18 Difference in Signal Strength
3.19 Difference in Number of APs
4 Different Survey Methods vs. Visualizations
5 Visualization Statistics
Visualization Options
Visualizations contain parameters that can optionally be set using Visualization Options. Some visualization options are
specific to the selected visualization, whereas some are generic and apply to all the visualizations.
The Visualization Options allow you to set parameters concerning the visualization accuracy, performance and overall
appearance:
1. Visualization Mode - See the visualization in Smooth mode (polygons) or Detailed mode (rectangles)
2. Extrapolation - When Smooth Visualization Mode is selected, adjust the level of extrapolation in meters/feet
3. Speed vs. Accuracy - Allows the visualizations to be refreshed more quickly at the expense of the accuracy, or vise
versa
4. Signal Prediction - Enable or disable all signal prediction. Can be used to predict signal propagation through other
floors
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5. Visualization specific options (In this case for Signal Strength visualization)
Visualization Mode
The visualization heat maps are overlaid on the map using some amount of extrapolation, because every inch of the facility
can not be surveyed. To adjust the amount of extrapolation, click the Options button next to the visualization selection.
There are two Visualization Modes:
Detailed: The extrapolation is fixed. The Detailed Mode provides low extrapolation and accurate results. Does not
allow adjusting the amount of extrapolation of data. Use Detailed mode when in-depth analysis is needed.
Smooth: Adjustable amount of detail, as the user can set the extrapolation (in feet or meters).
When designing large Projects with lots of walls and simulated access points, you may want to get visualizations updated
quickly to find out the optimal number of access points, their locations and configurations as quickly as possible. At this
point, the accuracy of the visualization may not be essential to find out the "ball park" locations and configurations of access
points.
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In situations like these, you can increase the visualization speed by adjusting the slider above the Signal Prediction options.
The Rough Sketch will provide the fastest response with the least amount of detail, whereas the Very Accurate setting will
provide most detail, sacrificing some of the response time.
Signal Prediction
It may not always be feasible or even possible to survey all areas and rooms of the project. Instead, signal prediction can be
used. There are two main types of signal prediction in ESS:
Signal prediction of simulated access points: All signals from the simulated APs are predicted.
Signal prediction of measured (surveyed) access points: The signals outside the surveyed areas are predicted.
Ekahau Site Survey can predict signal propagation through floors. There are five options to choose:
Off - No signal prediction is used at all
Currect floor - Signal propagation in current floor is only predicted
One floor - Signal propagation to one floor above and below is predicted
Two floor - Signal propagation to two floors above and below is predicted
All floors - Signal propagation to all floors is predicted - Use with care only in projects with multiple hole in the floor
areas!
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By default, Signal Prediction is enabled. If it is necessary to see only the measured (surveyed) data of the access points, and
disregard all the prediction calculations, disable Signal Prediction.
Visualization Specific Options

Some visualizations have specific options that only apply for them. These visualization specific options include:
Minimum Signal Strenght - The visualization is only shown in areas where the signal strength exceeds this threshold
Adapter - The visualization is shown according to how the selected adapter would have perceived the measured data
Network Load - Is used with simulation visualizations to demonstrate how different network loads affects on the
network performance
Use Noise From - Defines wheter the visualization uses measured Noise or Simulated Co-Channel Interference - With
Automatic option, the measured Noise is always used when available
Show <xx> Strongest Signal at <xx> Channel - Visualizes the selected strongest signal at the selected channel(s)
Adjusting the Legend

You can adjust the visualization appearance and value range by adjusting the Legend. The legend allows you to adjust the
heatmap cut-out values as well as the requirement grey-out. By adjusting the heatmap cut-out, you can for example select
not to display the heatmap for values under -75dBm.
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With the requirement grey-out, you can display the area where your current active requirement is not met. For example, the
signal strength might still be good for basic connectivity, but it does not meet the Voice requirement. To disable the
requirement grey-out, right-click the legend, and uncheck the Enable requirement grey-out.
NOTE
When you adjust the grey-out slider, this will also adjust the value to your current active coverage requirement
profile.
When you right-click the Legend, you can also adjust the legend color range. With this you can adjust the legend the same
way as before Ekahau Site Survey version 7.6. The color beyond the color range slider will be the same regardless the
value. So for example, if the the right-hand side color range slider is set to -45dBm, all values above that will be shown with
the same green (assuming the legend coloring is from red to green).
The Legend colors can also be changed by left clicking the Legend. Select the legend coloring from the drop down.
The Legend adjustments are automatically saved with the project.

NOTE
Not all visualization heatmaps are customizable.

NOTE
Visualization Views
Associated Access Point
Capacity: Clients per AP
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Capacity Health
Channel Bandwidth
Channel Coverage
Channel Overlap
Data Rate
Interference / Noise
Network Health
Network Issues
Number of APs
Packet Loss
Round-Trip Time
Signal Strength
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)
Throughput (Max)
Difference in Interference
Difference in Signal Strength
Difference in Number of APs
Different Survey Methods vs. Visualizations

Not all visualizations are available with just passive surveys, or when working with simulated access points. The
visualizations that require Hybrid Surveys do not work for simulated data. The Network Health and Network Issues
visualizations provide all the functionality only when using Hybrid Surveys
The below table outlines which survey methods affect on each visualization:
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Visualization
Passive Survey (Traditional

Signal Reading)
Hybrid Survey (End-to-end

Connectivity Testing)
Simulation
Data Rata
Interference / Noise
Network Health
Network Issues
Number of APs
Channel Overlap
Per-Channel View
Signal Strength
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Ping Round Trip Time
Ping Packet Loss
Maximum Channel
Bandwidth
Maximum
Throughput
Associated Access
Point
Capacity Health
Associated Clients
X
X
Visualization Statistics
Visualization statistics displays you a quick statistical overview on the map you are currently viewing. For example, you can
verify that the Network Health requirements are met on over 90% of the floor plan or that the Signal Strength is between
-50dBm - -60dBm on 70% of the floor plan. The Visualization Statistics is based on the Legend options like the
visualization itself is. To view the Visualization Statistics, simply click on the statistics icon on the top right-hand side
corner on the map view.
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From Ekahau Wi-Fi Design documentation

ESS User Guide