Outdoor Wireless Survey

Our Approach

The design and delivery of outdoor Wi-Fi networks presents greater challenges when compared to indoor Wi-Fi networks.

Our experience delivering point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and outdoor Wi-Fi mesh networks makes us one of only few companies with the specialist knowledge and skill set required to successfully deploy outdoor Wi-Fi solutions.

GPS-Aided Site Surveys

Utilising GPS antennas, Passive WI-Fi surveys of large-scale outdoor areas can be completed with a high degree of accuracy. Properly scaled maps allow sample points to be accurately taken when moving in a vehicle. This streamlines the survey process and allows large areas to be covered in a short amount of time.

External Antennas

When mapping out Wi-Fi coverage for vehicles using external Wi-Fi antennas, it is vital that the Wi-Fi survey utilise the same external antennas to get a consistent result. Using a normal Wi-Fi adapter inside a vehicle will yield very different results, since the use of external antennas greatly increases the usable range of Wi-Fi. Wireless Edge Networks always uses external antennas when conducting outdoor vehicular Wi-Fi surveys.

To illustrate the difference in coverage, the use of an internal Wi-Fi adapter yielded very weak coverage when compared to the external antenna when surveying the same area shown below.

Link Path Calculations

For point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless links, Wireless Edge Networks can conduct a link path calculation to determine the suitability of a wireless link. A link path calculation determines:

  • Line of sight and terrain profile.
  • Link availability once factoring in environmental conditions, e.g., rain, multipath, earth curvature.
  • Expected network speeds at different availability levels.
  • Minimum antenna heights and other considerations.

If you would like more information, please contact us.