Oberon's Design and Integration Services Group provides comprehensive design, integration, installation, and maintenance services for enterprise wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) deployments.

Wireless LAN Site Survey

Mobility throughout the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi enabled facility requires comprehensive Radio Frequency (RF) signal coverage. Without adequate RF coverage, wireless devices (laptops, handhelds, Wi-Fi phones, etc.) will not remain connected to the enterprise network. Sources of RF interference (microwave ovens, other wireless devices) can also disrupt service.

The only way to ensure adequate RF signal coverage is to perform an physical Site Survey. Oberon technical services personnel perform on-site physical surveys using a proven process and special equipment and software to obtain an accurate measurement of the true RF signal coverage.

The Site Survey involves using the same type of access point and antennas to be deployed. The access point is positioned where required and the technician determines a predetermined "fringe" of RF coverage for the access point. This process is repeated throughout the facility until the entire facility is proven to be covered by RF signal level, above the fringe value.

Since the survey physically proves the RF coverage- in every conference room, office, classroom, lab, guest room, etc. -, Oberon provide a Coverage Warranty which states that Oberon is responsible for corrections if the wireless network is shown to provide inadequate RF coverage.

Did you Know: Interference between access points, either because of poor channel planning or excessive access points, is more commonly a cause of unacceptable network performance than inadequate signal strength. Guessing at access point locations tends toward overbuy of access points, with channel crowding as a result. The overbuy ends up costing more than a site survey, and capacity is compromised.

Dual Band Wireless LAN Site Surveys

Many manufacturers' Wi-Fi solutions provide enhanced network performance by operating in two bands: 802.11b/g networks at 2.4 GHz, and 802.11a networks at 5.2 GHz. The 802.11b/g band is most commonly used. By adding capability in the 802.11a band, the network capacity can be greatly enhanced.

However, RF signal propagation at 5.2 GHz is much different from propagation at 2.4 GHz. For effective RF signal level coverage, Oberon performs a dual band site survey, using the same special equipment and software. However, additional measurements are made at 5.2 GHz, often to a different target fringe level.

Did you Know: There are only 3 non-overlapping channels bands in the 2.4 GHz band. There are 12 non-overlapping channels in the 5.2 GHz band, increasing wireless network capacity by a factor of 4.

Site Survey for Wireless VoIP (Vo-Fi)

Before Oberon performs a site survey, a pre-site survey questionnaire is completed by the customer. This specifies the type of wireless products to be used and the applications to be run. Wireless VoIP, or Vo-Fi is emerging as a common requirement. Adequate RF signal coverage for Wireless VoIP is different from data. Oberon can provide a site survey for both Wireless VoIP and data networks. In all cases, the Coverage Warranty applies.

Did you Know: Manufacturers of wireless VoIP handsets specify the need for a higher RF signal level than wireless data devices for reliable performance, as much as 10 times greater signal level! A site survey performed for a wireless data network alone will not provide satisfactory performance for a wireless VoIP system.

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