Some site surveys are done after the access points have been installed and are operating. Sometimes you need to do a site survey on a new building that does not have any access points. VisiWave can handle either type of survey. Here we'll go over the latter case: a pre-deployment site survey.
We strongly believe that you need to actually measure radio waves in the field to get a realistic picture of your wireless coverage. We recommend using a temporary access point during a pre-deployment site survey. VisiWave makes this quick and easy.
To begin, place a temporary AP (it doesn't have to be connected to the network, just powered up), collect survey samples, and save the results in a survey file. Then move the temporary AP, collect more samples, and save the results in a different survey file. Repeat this process until the entire area is covered. When creating a report, you can then merge the survey files together into one large survey file using the Merge Survey Files menu item found in the Reporting application. By selecting the "Force APs to be unique" option, your one temporary AP will look like many individual APs when you create coverage graphs. VisiWave treats each AP location as a unique AP in the reporting results. Look up "Merge Survey Files" in the supplied User Guide for more information.
Using this method, you can view each AP's coverage and get an overall view of your wireless network. Also, taking actual measurements allows you to view any overlapping coverage provided by external access points. This will show you what areas contend with neighboring access points and what channels those APs are using.
