This document outlines 7 secrets for effective Wi-Fi planning: 1) Talk to stakeholders to understand requirements; 2) Use high-quality maps with proper scale and detail; 3) Consider 3D signal propagation between floors; 4) Coverage design is easier than ensuring proper channel separation to avoid overlap; 5) Adding more APs does not always improve capacity which is complex to calculate; 6) Factors like user devices, applications, and environment affect maximum capacity; 7) On-site surveys are sometimes faster than planning for certain challenging environments.

1. The 7 Secrets
Wi-Fi Planning

2. Agenda
1. Who’s on the line?
2. Why are we here?
3. The 7 secrets of Wi-Fi Planning
+ hands-on demos

3. Jussi
@JussiKiviniemi
11 years at Ekahau
Mikko
@ekaMikko
9 years at Ekahau

4. Ekahau <3 CWNP
• CWNP = Wi-Fi knowledge = power
• Ekahau = Wi-Fi tools

5. Ekahau <3 CWNP
• Tools + power = superpowers?
(or power tools?)

6. Ekahau <3 CWNP
CWNP and Ekahau have been
working together for 10 or so years.
Various CWNP courses feature
Ekahau products.

7. Ekahau Wi-Fi Tools
Site Survey
& Planning
Mobile Survey
Troubleshooting
Spectrum Analyzer
Fight interference

8. Ekahau Site Survey Pro
w/ 3D Wi-Fi Planner

9. These guys and 500,000+ others use our
stuff.
“The simplest and most effective way to design,
evaluate and document Wi-Fi.”
- Blake Krone / Experienced wireless consultant
“This tool rocks! For years, our field teams and our
partners have been using Ekahau Wi-Fi Tools.”
- William Aguilar / Extreme Networks
“Absolutely the best live surveying tool around”
- Bruce Alexander / Cisco Systems
“First class products and continuous development and
innovation”
- Ian Morris / MLR Networks
“Using <competing product> is like pulling your nails out.”
- Justin Cetko, WLAN Consultant / Skyline Networks
“Happy to say it’s the best survey/planning tool I’ve
worked with.”
- Tom Berry / Meru Networks
“Great investment, exceptional software. Extremely
accurate planning.”
- Ben Cabrera / Stater Bros. Markets
“Quickest to use, superior accuracy. Customer support
has the friendliest bunch of folks.
- Jim Florwick / Cisco Systems

10. If you only have 5 minutes today
1. Talk to people
2. Map is your friend
3. The world is not 2D
4. Coverage is easy…
5. … but channel overlap is harder…
6. … and capacity is … like … ultra-complex
7. Don’t always plan.

11. The Goal of Wi-Fi Planning
Determine
1. the minimum number of APs and
2. optimal AP configurations
to best satisfy the users’ requirements

12. Troubleshoot Validate
PlanMonitor
Requirements
Simulation
Site survey
Spectrum analysisSpectrum analysis
Continuous
Packet analysis
Periodic surveys
Life Cycle of aWi-Fi Network

13. Methods
Various ways to design Wi-Fi networks:
1. Best guess
2. Square feet/meter
3. Map-based ROM
4. Map based accurate
Today, we’ll focus mostly on #4.

14. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)
If you are very low on time, you could just cut
some corners and take a best guess.
Here’s how.

15. #1: Talk to people
What exactly is required from the network?

16. Secret #1: Talk to people
• Areas to cover and NOT to cover
• Required coverage
• Required capacity
• Where APs can’t be placed
• Budgetary constraints
• Vendor constraints
• Deliverables
• Schedule

17. #2: This works for Indiana Jones. Not for
you.

18. Secret #2: Use high quality maps
• Sucky maps may be OK
for site surveys…
• … but not for planning

19. Secret #2: Use high quality maps
+ white background
+ 1:1 Proportions
+ meter/feet scale
+ overall easy to read

20. Secret #2: Use high quality maps

21. Secret #2: Use high quality maps

22. #3 is for 3D.

23. Secret #3: Everything is 3D.
Signals travel through floors.

24. Secret #3: Everything is 3D.
• APs work differently at different heights
• High ceilings = directional antennas

25. Secret #3: Everything is 3D.
• Shelves, racks are not all the way to ceiling
• But they attenuate the signals.
• So do cubicles.

26. Secret #3: Everything is 3D.
• What about outdoor planning?

27. Secret #4: Coverage design
• This is the easiest part of the puzzle…
• … but only a small part of it

29. Secret #4: Coverage design
• Pay attention to highly attenuating walls and areas
• Consider also 2nd AP coverage (overlap)
• Consider floor-to-floor bleed
• Consider the 3D aspects

30. Secret #5: Overlap
Just one Wi-Fi device can talk at a time.

31. Secret #5: Overlap
Adding APs often makes capacity worse, not better.

32. 3 usable channels on 2.4GHz.

33. Where to put the next AP?
Channel 1
Channel 6
Channel
11
Channel 1
Co-Channel interference:
More than one AP audible per frequency

34. Adjacent channel interference
Channel 1
Channel 2
Adjacent channel interference:
APs on overlapping channels

35. Secret #6 – Capacity.
There’s only so much load one AP can take.
• ~ 200 associations per radio
• ~50-300MBps throughput per radio
• ~10 voice calls per radio

36. Secret #6 – Capacity.
There’s only so much total airtime per channel.
Again, adding APs may not help at all.

37. Using retro devices ain’t cool, man

38. Secret #6 – Capacity.
There’s only so much total airtime per channel.
Again, adding APs may not help at all.

39. “Capacity planning sucks,
because it’s complex”

40. Capacity calculations 101
How many users?
x How many devices per user?
+ How many other devices?
---
= Devices and their types
x Which applications are run on the devices?
====================
= Total capacity required

41. - Areas to cover
- Types of end user devices
- Types of access points
- Channels/bands used
- Single / multiple floors
- Wall materials
What else affects capacity?

42. Secret #7 – When NOT to plan?
If it’s quicker / cheaper to do it on-site,
perhaps better just go there?

43. Secret #7 – When NOT to plan?
Challenging environments:
• Mountains / hills
• Stadiums
• Oil refineries
• Hugely complex manufacturing plants

44. Any questions?
Now would be a good time to ask.

45. ekahau.com/wifidesign