Services
We provide a range of professional services to realise your warehouse or manufacturing project, from wireless site surveys and installation to mobile computers, barcode scanners, printers and installation. Additionally, we will provide ongoing site support and servicing of mobile computers.
Wireless Site Survey
Wireless Site Survey
Wi-Fi operates in unlicensed radio frequency (RF) spectrum and this requires efficient management of the allocated RF channels within the allocated spectrum to perform optimally. This one of the key reasons to plan a wireless (Wi-Fi) network using the right tools and expertise. Considerations that affect the performance would include:
• The desired data rate.
• The number of users and wireless capable devices in operation.
• Whether the wireless device needs to roam seamlessly to perform business tasks.
• Interference in the RF spectrum.
• The type of services that the network would need to support i.e. video streaming, voice calls
The types of surveys that are available to plan a wireless network:
• Predictive wireless site survey.
• Passive survey.
• Active (or sometimes referred to as “AP on a stick”) wireless survey.
Predictive wireless site survey
This method is very common as the design tool sets available are very good at predicting accurately the Wi-Fi coverage, provided there is a floor plan of the facility that includes all the furniture and in a warehouse the racking layout. The design produced is often validated by a site visit to confirm dimensions, furniture and racking as well as ceiling/roof heights. In the case of a warehouse, then the type of stock stored is also factored into the design.
Passive wireless site survey
This would be the most common type of Wi-Fi survey performed as it provides accurate information about the facility and RF sources. The survey would identify any existing Wi-Fi sources are operating and from the data collected facilitate an appropriate design.
Active wireless site survey
The requirement to conduct a survey using an “AP on a stick” method is becoming less frequent due to the considerable improvement in the design tool sets available. This type of survey would be reserved for special use cases in challenging RF environments where there is uncertainty around the signal propagation characteristics of the facility. Typically, industrial plant, stadiums and large venues would be considered for these types of surveys.
