Spotty Wi-Fi can be an aggravating problem. Poor connections; dead spots; slow performance speeds; if any of those terms sound familiar to you then you’ve most likely experienced Wi-Fi issues in the past. So much so, that you may have had the thought to take your wireless access point out back and shoot it. As you can see from the picture, we took that phrase literally…
Instead of going “Office Space” on all of our equipment, Umbrella has been finding new ways to improve our techniques. We’ve recently added a program to our Umbrella utility belt that has stepped up our Wi-Fi Game. That program comes from the company NetScout and goes by the name AirMagnet.
AirMagnet is one of the industry’s most accurate wireless site survey software packages available. It will assist with Wi-Fi signal mapping which helps us plan and design of a wireless network. Once a survey has been performed with AirMagnet, the program will create a “heat map” plotting all the dead zones and optimal access point placement for full coverage. Not only will it pick up the Wi-Fi signal currently broadcasting, but it will pick up any type of interfering RF cross traffic that could cause wireless interference such as wall type, metals, light structure, or even a running microwave.
Just recently, we started working with a new client that wanted to have full Wi-Fi coverage throughout their entire warehouse. Generally, this isn’t an easy feat due to the 50 to 60-foot ceilings, and wanting good coverage while trying to have as few dead spots as possible. However, with AirMagnet, we were able to get the layout of the building using GPS technology. After the building was mapped and we selected the type of WAP (wireless access points) we would be installing, AirMagnet showed us how many WAPs we would need and the exact spots to install them without having any dead spots in the building.
This is more than just a great tool for new Wi-Fi implementation projects. We have also used it to fix wireless issues affecting businesses who had been experiencing drops and lag for years. We went in with the program on our laptop and with just one walkthrough, we were able to map their office. With the results, we were able to determine that moving the WAPs around and tweaking some settings would give their office full coverage with better signal. Ever since we made the changes, the issues haven’t returned and the users are having a much better experience.
If you have ongoing problems with Wi-Fi in your office, give us a call at Umbrella and we’ll schedule a site survey to make those issues disappear!