Unreliable conference rooms, slow point-of-sale systems, and video calls with poor reception are just a few of the woes that office spaces, restaurants, clinics and retail stores in Dubai face regularly. The quick fix is often to purchase a more powerful wireless router, but experienced Wifi technicians Dubai will often carry out a Wi-Fi site survey as their first step in diagnosing and solving the problem.
What Is a Wi-Fi Site Survey?
A Wi-Fi site survey is a survey of the coverage, interference and capacity of a building’s wireless network carried out by a professional Wifi support. Specialist software and survey tools are used to measure signal strength, interference sources and the impact of the building’s structure on the Wi-Fi network, and a survey report is produced showing the surveyor’s recommendations for the Wi-Fi network. The result is a survey that informs the design or redesign of your business’s wireless network.
Why Businesses in Dubai Face Unique Wi-Fi Challenges
Wi-Fi networks are notoriously fickle, and the type of building in which your business operates has a huge impact on the ability of wireless signals to reach inside it. In Dubai, many commercial buildings and villas are made primarily of concrete and steel, materials that are notoriously difficult for Wi-Fi signals to penetrate. Others make extensive use of glass partitions and mirrors, and the city’s towers, business bays and hotels are often crowded with competing wireless networks.
Meanwhile, businesses have numerous devices connected to the Wi-Fi network at any given time and require large amounts of bandwidth for high-resolution displays, VoIP telephony, surveillance systems and cloud applications. Large-scale businesses and those that occupy multi-storey buildings also require Wi-Fi coverage in multiple areas and an uninterrupted signal as users walk from one to another. A router mounted on a shelf and out of sight is unlikely to be enough to satisfy your business’s requirements.
How a Wi-Fi Site Survey Works
A professional Wi-Fi site survey is likely to involve the following steps.
- Gathering requirements. The surveyor will ask you about your business’s requirements for the Wi-Fi network. How many users will be accessing the network at any given time? Do you have any applications that require a particularly strong connection? How many video calls are made on an average day? Is there a need for separate networks for customers and staff? What areas of your building are used most frequently?
- Reviewing the building plans. The surveyor will ask for the building’s plans to identify structural weaknesses and features that are likely to interfere with the Wi-Fi signal such as lifts, kitchens and server rooms.
- Conducting the survey. There are three main types of Wi-Fi survey. A predictive survey uses specialist software to predict coverage, interference and capacity based on the building’s plans. This is ideal if you are fitting out a new building or relocating. A passive survey sees the surveyor walk through the building with a survey tool, measuring existing Wi-Fi signals. An active survey goes deeper, with the surveyor connecting to your network and testing its performance as a user would.
- Interpreting the results. The findings are put together into a heatmap that shows how the Wi-Fi network currently performs. Strong and weak spots, interference and roaming issues are identified.
- Producing a report and recommendations. A full report is produced showing the site survey results and the surveyor’s recommendations for your business’s network. These are likely to include the number and position of access points (routers), channel allocation and power levels, and cabling and other infrastructure improvements.
What a Survey Measures
When a qualified surveyor carries out a Wi-Fi site survey, it is likely to go far beyond the simple question of how many bars of signal strength there are in your building. A full survey will typically measure:
- Signal strength across the whole building
- Signal to noise ratio
- Channel interference and capacity
- Roaming issues
- Throughput and latency
- Capacity
Why Your Business Needs a Wi-Fi Site Survey
1. It eliminates dead zones and weak spots
It can be incredibly frustrating for both customers and employees to suffer poor or non-existent Wi-Fi in parts of a business. A reliable site survey will identify the cause of dead zones or weak spots and identify ways of remedying the situation.
2. It saves you money
Without a survey, businesses are likely to be buying too many access points or suffering repeat failures due to incompatible equipment. A survey will tell you how many access points you need and can help to avoid unnecessary spend on hardware. Likewise, a survey will save you the cost of callouts if a technician is called to the premises and the problem cannot immediately be diagnosed.
3. It prevents downtime
Downtime, such as when Wi-Fi goes down, can be incredibly costly. A poor connection can also increase latency in cloud applications and cause problems for VoIP phone calls, emails and instant messaging exchanges. With a strong and reliable Wi-Fi network, your application use and overall productivity can increase.
4. It enhances the customer experience
Whether you run a hotel, a restaurant, a clinic or any other type of business, you understand the importance of providing a positive customer experience. Part of that is ensuring that your customers can enjoy a stable and reliable Wi-Fi connection, whether for their own use or when accessing your point-of-sale systems.
5. It enables expansion and growth
As your business grows, you are likely to have more software users and networked devices in your workspace. A survey will assist you in predicting and preparing for future capacity requirements and ensuring that your network is up to the task.
6. It prevents and detects security threats
When a survey is carried out, the surveyor can spot any unsecured access points or networks that could jeopardise your devices and data. Knowledge of your network’s current state is essential to keeping it secure.
7. It prepares you for new technology
As new technologies emerge, such as Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, or as you wish to adopt new displays and surveillance systems, a survey can ensure that your workspace is prepared.
When to Get a Survey
A Wi-Fi survey is a valuable tool for any business in Dubai. You may wish to consider a survey if you are:
- Fitting out a new office space, store front, restaurant, clinic or warehouse
- Moving premises or carrying out renovations
- Experiencing slow or patchy Wi-Fi in certain areas
- Adding new staff, equipment or software
- Upgrading your access points and wireless equipment
- Expanding your business or operations
Many businesses choose to have a site survey carried out at regular intervals, as new networks can appear in the vicinity, new equipment can be added and renovations can take place. The state of a business’s wireless network can change considerably over time.
Choosing a Technician
Not all IT providers offer surveying as a service. When selecting a surveyor, it is vital to ask about their experience and the tools they employ. Ensure they have access to the tools necessary to provide accurate results and ask to see their heatmap and written report. Likewise, ask if they have experience of surveying businesses of a similar type to yours and whether they can identify the correct access points and recommend a vendor-independent solution.
A good surveyor will also offer assistance with the installation, configuration and verification of your new network after the survey has been completed. Make sure that you discuss this with them. A good technician will be able to confirm that the finished network conforms to the survey and will offer aftercare.
Final Thoughts
Wi-Fi networks are essential to many businesses, and a reliable site survey is a vital first step in ensuring your network has sufficient capacity, coverage and reliability. A survey can prevent downtime, save you money and even enhance the customer experience. If your Wi-Fi network is proving a constant annoyance to your business, a survey could be the solution.
Read Also: Ajman Outlet Mall
