The 7 Secrets

Wi-Fi Planning

Agenda

1. Who’s on the line?

2. Why are we here?

3. The 7 secrets of Wi-Fi Planning

+ hands-on demos

Jussi@JussiKiviniemi

11 years at Ekahau

Mikko@ekaMikko

9 years at Ekahau

Ekahau <3 CWNP

• CWNP = Wi-Fi knowledge = power

• Ekahau = Wi-Fi tools

Ekahau <3 CWNP

• Tools + power = superpowers?

(or power tools?)

Ekahau <3 CWNP

CWNP and Ekahau have been

working together for 10 or so

years.

Various CWNP courses feature

Ekahau products.

Ekahau Wi-Fi Tools

Site Survey & Planning

Mobile SurveyTroubleshooting

Spectrum AnalyzerFight interference

Ekahau Site Survey Prow/ 3D Wi-Fi Planner

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

If you only have 5 minutes today

1. Talk to people2. Map is your friend3. The world is not 2D4. Coverage is easy…5. … but channel overlap is harder…6. … and capacity is … like … ultra-complex7. Don’t always plan.

The Goal of Wi-Fi Planning

Determine

1. the minimum number of APs and

2. optimal AP configurations

to best satisfy the users’ requirements

Troubleshoot Validate

PlanMonitor

Requirements

Simulation

Site survey

Spectrum analysis

Spectrum analysis

Continuous

Packet analysis

Periodic surveys

Life Cycle of a Wi-Fi Network

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.

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.

#1: Talk to people

What exactly is required from the network?

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

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

Secret #2: Use high quality maps

• Sucky maps may be OK for site surveys…• … but not for planning

Secret #2: Use high quality maps

+ white background + 1:1 Proportions + meter/feet scale + overall easy to read

Secret #2: Use high quality maps

Secret #2: Use high quality maps

#3 is for 3D.

Secret #3: Everything is 3D.

Signals travel through floors.

Secret #3: Everything is 3D.

• APs work differently at different heights• High ceilings = directional antennas

Secret #3: Everything is 3D.

• Shelves, racks are not all the way to ceiling• But they attenuate the signals.• So do cubicles.

Secret #3: Everything is 3D.

• What about outdoor planning?

Secret #4: Coverage design

• This is the easiest part of the puzzle…• … but only a small part of it

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

Secret #5: Overlap

Just one Wi-Fi device can talk at a time.

Secret #5: Overlap

Adding APs often makes capacity worse, not better.

3 usable channels on 2.4GHz.

Where to put the next AP?

Channel 1

Channel 6

Channel 11

Channel 1

Co-Channel interference:More than one AP audible per frequency

Adjacent channel interference

Channel 1

Channel 2

Adjacent channel interference:APs on overlapping channels

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

Secret #6 – Capacity.

There’s only so much total airtime per channel.

Again, adding APs may not help at all.

Using retro devices ain’t cool, man

Not go

od

Secret #6 – Capacity.

There’s only so much total airtime per channel.

Again, adding APs may not help at all.

“Capacity planning sucks,because it’s complex”

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

- Areas to cover - Types of end user devices - Types of access points - Channels/bands used - Single / multiple floors - Wall materials

What else affects capacity?

Secret #7 – When NOT to plan?

If it’s quicker / cheaper to do it on-site,perhaps better just go there?

Secret #7 – When NOT to plan?

Challenging environments:• Mountains / hills• Stadiums• Oil refineries• Hugely complex manufacturing plants

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

ekahau.com/wifidesign