Wi-Fi Site Survey – Know before you throw APs on the wall

Before you go mounting access points like darts on drywall, you better get your RF game straight. A site survey ain’t just nerd stuff – it’s how you figure out what’s gonna work and what’s gonna make users scream. Here’s the messy but true lowdown on all them survey styles.

Predictive Site Survey (aka Lazy Genius Mode)

• No feet on the floor. Just maps, walls, and math.
• You load up blueprints into fancy software (Ekahau, AirMagnet, TamoSoft... you know the gang).
• Tell the tool what your walls are made of, what gear you wanna use, and boom – it spits out where to stick your APs.
• Great for "what if" stuff, like “what if we had budget?”
• Fast and clean, but not gospel – you still need boots on the ground later.

Manual Site Survey (aka AP-on-a-Stick Shenanigans)

• You bring your gear, your stick, your courage, and your patience.
• Pop an AP on a pole, walk around like a ghostbuster and record signal stuff.
• Super accurate 'cause it's real-world signal and not just guesswork.
• Time-consuming? Oh yeah. But worth it if your Wi-Fi’s for real humans.
• Comes in two spicy flavors:
  • Active: Device connects to an AP and tests real data flow.
  • Passive: Just listens to everything like a nosy neighbor. Great for noise and overlap checks.

Hybrid Survey (The Best of Both Worlds... or the Worst)

• You do a little manual. You let the software guess a bit. Then you meet in the middle and call it "smart engineering."
• Useful when building blueprints are, let’s say, “optimistically drawn.”
• Verifies wall attenuation, finds rogue signals, adds realism to your simulations.

Automated Surveys (aka Trust the Robot... maybe)

• Controller tries to figure out RF all by itself – adjusting power, channels, the whole shebang.
• Vendors pitch it as magic. Reality? It’s semi-intelligent config. You’ll still have to fix things.
• Think of it as cruise control, not autopilot.

Assisted Site Survey (Let the Software Hold Your Hand)

• You measure a bit, enter stuff into the tool, and it tells you “put one here” like a GPS with attitude.
• Great for when you’re learning or just hate making decisions without charts.
• Still needs human touch – the tool ain’t walking the halls for you.

Why Do Any of This?

Because guesswork Wi-Fi is trash Wi-Fi. Surveys help you avoid dead zones, weak signals, interference drama, and angry users yelling “the Wi-Fi sucks!” They give you a shot at real coverage, solid performance, and less time firefighting after go-live.

Site surveys are how you build Wi-Fi that actually works. Pick your flavor – predictive, manual, hybrid, automated, or assisted – but don’t skip it. That’s like skipping breakfast and wondering why you’re grumpy by lunch.

Predictive Site Survey – Plan it before you build it

Alright, this one’s for when you don’t wanna be crawling through dusty hallways with an AP on a stick. Predictive Site Survey is your sit-back-and-simulate type of WLAN planning. Just feed a map into some fancy software, tell it what your walls are made of, and let it throw some RF math at the screen.

How does it work?

• You upload your building floor plan – hopefully scaled, not some napkin sketch.
• You tell the software what kind of walls you got (brick? drywall? glass aquarium?) and what kind of Wi-Fi you wanna deploy.
• You slap in your minimum signal strength needs, app throughput, and all that jazz.
• The tool spits out where to drop your APs, which channels to use, and how much power they should yell with.
• It even makes pretty heatmaps showing where your signal’s strong, weak, or flat out dead.

Why should you even bother?

• Helps you figure out where APs go without wasting time dragging gear around first.
• You can test out different layouts or what-ifs, like “what if we actually had budget?”
• Saves time later – manual surveys still needed, but way fewer headaches.
• Lets you catch dumb design mistakes before you drill anything into a ceiling.

Gotchas and things to remember

• It ain’t magic. It's still a guess. A smart guess, but a guess.
• Want better results? Use real attenuation data from actual walls (do a hybrid survey if you care).
• Make sure your floor plan’s scaled right – don’t eyeball it, use something like the building width, not a chair.
• Include everything – even weird white space or outdoor patios that could mess with your RF.

Stuff you gotta get right

• AP Model & Power: Use the same APs and antennas you’ll actually install. Set power to match real client devices (like 20–25 mW).
• Client Load: Know how many people (or IoT zombies) are gonna be in each area. Don’t let one AP do all the heavy lifting.
• Roaming: Make sure APs overlap enough for handoffs – no one wants Wi-Fi that drops in the hallway.
• Signal Targets: Aim for -67 dBm minimum and at least 25 dB SNR. No excuses.
• Channel Plan: Avoid CCI and ACI like they’re the plague. Especially in multi-floor setups – don’t stack APs on top of each other like pancakes.

Wrap it up

A good predictive survey should leave you with a gear list, install map, config plan, and RF heatmaps that make sense. It’s your blueprint before the blueprint, and it’ll save you from angry calls after install day. Just don’t trust it blindly – software don’t walk your floors. Yet.

Manual Site Survey – walk it, scan it, plan it

Alright, let’s talk old-school. A Manual Site Survey, aka “AP-on-a-stick” session, is the good ol’ hands-on way to see how RF actually behaves in the wild. None of that software-guessing stuff – this is you, your gear, and the building you’re gonna light up with Wi-Fi.

How it works

• Gear up: Grab your survey kit, a building map, and head on-site. You’re gonna walk it all – like, really walk it.
• Stick it: Mount a real AP on a tripod (or stick, literally), move it around to test different locations. Check coverage, signal strength, and actual performance.
• Active vs. Passive:
  • Active: You connect to the AP and test real throughput, SNR, and roaming. Great for realistic performance – a must when dealing with beamforming or smart antennas.
  • Passive: Just listening. You scan what’s around, see the RF soup of all nearby APs. It won’t tell you how fast things run, but it shows interference, channel overlap, and coverage holes. Do both, always.

Why you still need this

• Accuracy: Predictive guesses are cool, but nothing beats live RF measurements. This is as close to reality as it gets.
• Reality check: You’ll see how your Wi-Fi plays with concrete, elevators, metal racks, and microwave ovens. Software doesn’t account for that stuff properly.
• Better placement: You’ll know exactly where APs should go – not just where the blueprint says they should.
• Problem finding: Great for sniffing out interference, dead zones, or things that’ll make your install a nightmare later.
• Post-Install Validation: Check if what you planned actually works. Don’t skip this part – ever.

What to watch for

• Know your targets: Before walking in, define -67 dBm minimum RSSI and 25 dB SNR baseline. Plan for 10–20 feet overlap between APs for decent roaming.
• Calibrate your map: Use scaled blueprints. Use long distances (like building width) to calibrate, not tiny stuff like doorframes.
• Know your materials: Cement and drywall don’t block RF the same. Input their attenuation into your software to get meaningful results.
• Use real gear: Test with the same APs and antennas you’re gonna deploy. Disable RRM and crank settings manually to match production.
• Test both bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz don’t behave the same. Test both. Seriously.
• Scan the right channels: Only measure the channels you're actually gonna use – skip the rest or it’ll muddy the data.
• Walk the walk: Place survey points every 3–6 meters. Get both sides of walls. Don’t fake it. Roaming tests need real walk paths too.
• Use real clients: Measure with devices that match your weakest clients. If the scanner can roam, your barcode readers probably can too.

Survey gear must-haves

• Laptop: Long battery life, lightweight. Get extra power if you're covering big buildings.
• Adapters: Use Wi-Fi cards that support all PHY types you need (b/g/n/ac/ax).
• Wheels: Use a cart, preferably plastic (no reflections please). Helps with gear hauling.
• Protocol Analyzers: Like OmniPeek or AirMagnet Wi-Fi Analyzer – catch bad frames, rogue APs, weird client behavior.
• Spectrum Analyzers: Spot microwave ovens, Bluetooth chaos, or other RF noise sources that aren’t Wi-Fi but still mess you up.
• Throughput testers: Use iPerf, TamoSoft, or IxChariot to see how much data actually gets through – not just RSSI eye candy.

Don’t forget documentation

• Mark AP locations on the map.
• Save your heatmaps and metrics.
• Take pics of where APs should go – helps the installers not screw it up.

Why You Gotta Freeze That AP (aka BSSID) During Manual Site Survey?

Look... if you don’t freeze the AP on your fancy survey map, you’re basically letting the software think that your Access Point’s doing some Harry Potter teleportation trick. 

That means every click you do while walking around – your tool thinks the AP is wherever you are. Now you got a heatmap that looks like your grandma spilled soup on it.

So What’s Freezin’ Actually Do?

Simple. You’re telling your tool: “This AP right here? It ain’t moving. Trust it. Lock it.”

Now every signal strength reading you take will actually reflect real RF magic, not ghost signals from la-la land.

Not Freezing = Garbage Data 

• Your signal map will look like spaghetti.
• Your SNR graph? Lies.
• Your roaming analysis? DOA.
• Your client? Angry.

Quick Tip:

If you move the AP = freeze it again.

Change the stick = freeze again.

Switch the SSID or power level = you guessed it: freeze it, bruh.

Wanna look pro? Wanna data that doesn’t lie? Then freeze that AP like it owes you money. 

Manual surveys take time and sweat, but they’re worth it. Pair ’em with predictive planning and post-deployment checks, and you’ve got a WLAN that just works. No guesswork. No surprises. Just solid Wi-Fi that makes users (and your helpdesk) way happier.

Hybrid Site Survey – lil bit real, lil bit magic

A hybrid site survey is kinda like mixin' street smarts with book smarts. You take the sweat of manual walkin’ and blend it with some sexy predictive modeling – and boom, smarter Wi-Fi plans happen.

How it works (more or less)

•  Two for one: You kick things off by stompin' around the site, collectin' real-world data. Then you throw all that into your planning tool like Ekahau or AirMagnet. Old school meets high tech.
•  Wall check: You gotta validate them walls, ceilings, metal monsters and ghost signals. The software guesses – you correct it. That’s how you win.
•  Manual tweaking where it counts: If an area’s full of noise or just plain weird, you drop the APs by hand and tune 'em like a busted radio. Custom work, baby.
•  Let the software fill the blanks: For all those boring, "normal" areas? Let the tool sprinkle APs automatically like fairy dust. Fast and still decent.
•  More accuracy, less guessing: Feeding real numbers into your RF model makes it way more legit. This ain't magic – it's informed guessing done right.
•  Modern tools love it: Every decent tool these days handles hybrid life just fine. Ekahau, AirMagnet, TamoGraph – they’re all built to dance with both sides of the street.

Why bother?

Because no one likes rework. A hybrid survey gives you the best shot at placing your APs right the first time – without overbuilding, underplanning, or explaining to your boss why Zoom won’t work in accounting.

Don’t skip out. Do a predictive survey, walk it old-school with a pre-deployment AP-on-a-stick, and lock it down after with a post-deployment validation. Hybrid’s the glue that keeps it all from falling apart.

Automated Survey – let the APs do the thinking (kinda)

So yeah, automated surveys – also called RRM or automated channel voodoo – are all about makin' your access points act smart without you babysittin’ them every day. They scan stuff, report back to the big boss (the controller), and get told what to do. Like little radio minions.

How it rolls

• Chatty APs: All APs listen to the air, sniffin’ around for signals, noise, neighbors, weird vibes. Then they tell the controller what’s up.
• Data dumped: They send in stuff like traffic load, noise, who’s shouting too loud on what channel, dead zones, ghost APs... all that jazz.
• Controller brain: The controller munches all that data and makes some big-boy decisions: who’s on what channel, who needs to shout louder (or softer), and how to dodge RF headaches.
• It reacts, not predicts: It’s real-time tweaking, baby. No planning ahead, just adjusting to whatever nonsense the environment throws out.

Why some folks love it

• Adapts to surprises: Office moves some big ol’ file cabinets? RRM figures it out and tweaks stuff. No one calls you (hopefully).
• Coverage hole rescue: Got a sad little client with weak signal? RRM sees it, maybe boosts power or nags you with an alert.
• Noise-finder: It sniffs out weird signals (even non-Wi-Fi) and shuffles APs around to dodge the interference grenade.
• When one AP dies: RRM tells the neighbors to step it up and yell louder. Ain’t pretty, but it helps.

Things to not ignore (seriously)

• Overengineering ain't cheap: Vendors say “just throw in more APs, let the system sort it out.” Sounds easy. Costs money. Also not always smart.
• Needs smart humans: Just ‘cause it’s automatic don’t mean it’s magic. You still gotta place your APs right or it’s trash-in-trash-out.
• It’s not a real site survey: Let’s be honest – this ain't measuring real RF like a proper manual survey does. It’s config automation, not true planning.
• Off-channel naps: Your APs go dark for a sec while scanning other channels. If clients don’t like it, tough. That’s RRM life.

The gist

Automated surveys are cool for makin’ things run smoother when you’ve already got decent hardware placement and enough APs to play with. They react, not predict, and they don’t replace a real engineer with eyes, ears, and a decent spectrum analyzer. But hey – in the right setup, they save headaches. Just don’t treat 'em like magic beans.

Assisted Site Survey – human brain meets software wizardry

This one’s a bit of a hybrid-mutant. Not fully manual, not fully auto. It’s like… you do some legwork, then let the software flex its math muscles. You’re still in charge though – no cruise control here.

How it kinda works

• Best of both worlds: You mix manual measuring with fancy software suggestions. A classic two-brain setup – yours and the CPU’s.
• You still gotta walk: The engineer (that’s probably you) goes out, does the usual measurements, and feeds them into the software like meat into a grinder.
• Software thinks it's smart: Based on your building layout, materials, ceiling height, who-knows-what – the software throws out ideas. Maybe good ones. Maybe dumb. You gotta test 'em.
• After install magic: Once the APs are stuck to walls and ceilings, the system keeps an eye on things and tweaks settings if needed. It’s reactive – not psychic.

Why not just go full auto?

• Because full-auto can be dumb: Yeah, automated surveys sound great, but often they need Overengineering™ – aka throwing a dozen APs where five would do, just so the controller can play musical chairs with the channels.
• Assisted still needs you: This isn’t lazy engineering. You still walk the floor, make calls, smell the RF. It just means the software gives you a second opinion – like a nerdy intern who’s good with spreadsheets.

The takeaway

Assisted Site Surveys are like having a buddy who does the math while you do the walking. Not a replacement for skill, just a tool to cut the boring parts short. You still gotta know what you're doing – otherwise it’s garbage in, garbage out. Treat it like a power-up, not a replacement.

Site Surveys – do 'em or doom 'em

Yeah, Wi-Fi’s great – until it sucks. And guess what? It usually sucks because nobody bothered to do a proper Site Survey. Don’t be that person.

Why Site Surveys actually matter (like, a lot)

• Wi-Fi that works = Site Survey done right. No survey, no stability. No stability, no happy users. It's that simple.
• Know your airwaves: Surveys tell you how RF bounces around your building like a drunk raccoon in a hallway.
• Skip surveys? Welcome to PainTown:
  • Dead zones. Yeah, you’ll have 'em.
  • Too many people, not enough signal? Boom – capacity meltdown.
  • Your “design” doesn’t scale? Congratulations, you built a future failure.
  • No roaming, no guest, no fun. Features need planning too, genius.
  • Wasted hardware from over-engineering? Budget gone.
  • Underbuilt? Welcome to the buffering Olympics.
  • No design at all? Enjoy your daily CCI interference fiesta.

Site Surveys help you...

• Validate your predictive magic with real-world numbers.
• Set the tone for every other design phase – if your Define phase sucks, everything else is just lipstick on a pig.
• Adapt to a changing world with some help from automated tools – but don’t rely on ‘em alone.

Stuff you better think about – seriously

• Define stuff up front: Clients, apps, coverage zones, security stuff, building junk – all of it.
• Understand RF like it’s your roommate: Know your SNR from your RSSI, find those sneaky microwaves and Bluetooth weirdness.
• Design smart: Pick the right APs, aim them like lasers, plan your channels like you mean it. QoS? Don’t forget it.
• Validate like a champ: Post-deployment surveys aren’t optional. If it’s not working, fix it before users start yelling.

Skip Site Surveys and your Wi-Fi turns into a dumpster fire. Do ‘em right, and you’ll look like the RF wizard people whisper about in break rooms. Understand the tech, measure the air, plan with brains – and always validate. Good Wi-Fi isn’t magic. It’s sweat, planning, and a bit of RF voodoo.

If you got the feeling now like “Yeah, I totally get Wi-Fi!” – then uh... nope. That was just a bit Survey, my friend. There’s a whole bookshelf waitin’ for you if you wanna be a real Wi-Fi geek. CWNA, CWDP, CWSP... yeah, it’s a ride. Buckle up.

Just a quick FYI:
This article’s got no tables or fancy graphics – on purpose. It’s built that way so screen readers and text-to-speech tools don’t freak out. Keepin’ it clean for the accessibility crew.

Heads up, Wi-Fi nerds:
This whole guide was put together using the CWNP books CWDP-402, CWAP-404 and CWAP-402. All the deep-dive stuff about Survey, 802.11 weirdness, and packet wrangling comes straight outta those.