The Easy Way OutDeploying Wi-Fi Networks More Quicklyp y g Q y

Jussi KiviniemiVice President, Wi-Fi Tools, EkahauVice President, Wi Fi Tools, Ekahau

Twitter: @jussikiviniemi

Anyone can install a Wi-Fi network.

Installing one that not only works but can“

deliver valuable functionality to your business

requires skill, and planning.

Ellie Hagopian

CEO / Skyrove, Deputy Chair / WAPA

You wouldn’t start constructing a building“without blue prints.

Justin Cetko

WLAN Consultant, Skyline Networks

Agenda

• Why do it faster?Source: The Simpsons

• How to do it faster?– Slides

p

Slides

– Demo

• Wrap up & Q&A• Wrap-up & Q&A

About the Presenter

• Jussi Kiviniemi

• Head of Wi-Fi Tools business at Ekahau

• 15 years with Wi-Fi

• 10+ ears de eloping Wi Fi• 10+ years developing Wi-Fi tools

Why do things better and faster?

• Designing, deploying and verifying a sizable enterprise Wi-Fi network takes weeks

• Consulting engineer on-site: $1000+ per day + travel

• Internal resource on-site: $200-500 per day

Why do things better and faster?

• TroubleshootingTroubleshooting and fixing a badly built network canbuilt network can take months

• Pictures: bad-fi.com

Life Cycle of a Wi-Fi Network

Preparation & Requirements

Continuous

PlanPlanMonitorMonitor

q

Predictive Design

Periodic Check-ups

TroubleshootTroubleshoot ValidateValidate

Pre-Deployment Site survey

Installation and Configuration

Spectrum

Packet analysis

Post-Deployment panalysis Site Survey

Preparations

• Learn Wi-Fi– CWNP: High quality vendor

neutral Wi-Fi expert training

– Blogs (Revolution Wi-Fi, WLAN Pros, Lee Badman, SC-Wi-Fi, NSA Show podcast)

– Vendor-specific courses: Cisco b k hCCNx, Aruba, Ekahau ECSE …

Management Buy-In

• You will need the management to commit to the project…

• … to ensure sufficient– $

– TimeTime

Preparations

• Work with it: Nothing replaces field experience

• Have your tools ready to goy y g– Learn your tools BEFORE going

on-site

Preparations

• Reserve enough time, so you won’t deploy this

Preparations

• Familiarize yourself in advance– Point of contact for complications

– Access to areas

– Advance notification to staff

– Double-check the intended schedule oub e c ec e e ded sc edu eand scope of work

Designing to a budget is designing to a “WLAN failure.

Keith Parsons

Wi-Fi consultant and trainer, industry innovator

Gathering Requirements

• Sit down and talk to people!– Network end users

– IT people Source: Dilbert.com

– Management

Gathering Requirements

• Know exactly what areas need to be covered and surveyed

• Restrictions: Where APs can NOT be placedNOT be placed

Key Requirements

• Coverage areasg– On a map

– ALL of them

• Number of usersNumber of users – Per user group

– Account for growth

• The applications used• The applications used– Per user group

– Affects coverage requirements, and capacityand capacity

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”“Nowhere is that as true as with designing and deploying Wi-Fi networks

Karl Schmidt

Sr. Network Engineer, NEC

Predictive Design

• Accurate scale is everything

• Wall drawing can be fast –or slow Get CAD drawingsor slow. Get CAD drawings.

• Main walls are enough, don’t overdo it.

• Never trust an “Auto Planner”• Never trust an Auto-Planner blindly.

Coverage and overlap requirements

• AP vendors have their guidelines

• Ask also industry yexperts

Plan for Capacity

• User groups

• Device types

• Number of users & theirNumber of users & their devices

• Applications r n on each• Applications run on each device

A site survey is worth“a thousand support calls

Andrew von Nagy

Revolution Wi-Fi

Pre-Deployment Site Surveys

• Purpose: Use a couple of “APs on a stick” on-site to make measurements prior to pdeploying the entire network

• What to measure? Coverage and SNR at the least. Preferably throughput, y g p ,spectrum.

• Use reasonable Tx power (not max or min ))

• Turn back at the edge of desired cell coverage

• Use multiple Wi-Fi adapters to measureUse multiple Wi Fi adapters to measure faster, walk faster

Post-Deployment Site Surveys

• Purpose: Validate the coverage and f f h kperformance of the entire network

• Multiple Wi-Fi adapters make the lki fwalking faster

• Requirements? Every room, or th h?every other enough?

• What to measure? Coverage, SNR, thro ghp t Jitter (VoIP) Spectr mthroughput. Jitter (VoIP). Spectrum.

Without careful planning for voice and on-location site surveys,

channel overlap and roaming problems will result in

“channel overlap and roaming problems will result in

poor voice quality and dropped calls.

Martin Ericson

International Trainer, Ascom Wireless

Trusting a “self-configuring Wi-Fi network” to do it all“is shooting yourself in the foot.

Joeri De Winter

Wireless LAN Consultant, Skyline Networks

Life Cycle of a Wi-Fi Network

• Wi-Fi design is an iterative process

• Work through options and g padapt

• RF is alive all the time: Come• RF is alive all the time: Come back after 6 months and you’ll find it quite differentyou ll find it quite different

Network Health Check

• Some invest in additional i f i Wiinfrastructure to monitor Wi-Fi

• If you don’t perform quick• If you don t, perform quick, periodic health check site survey walks as often as possible (doesn’t take long). Easy to walk, give to expert to analyzeanalyze

Our technical support team demands me to teach one thing to our customers:

Proper site survey and spectrum analysis

“Proper site survey and spectrum analysis.

Many problems come from improper site surveys, or complete lack of it.

Metka Dragos

Senior Technical Trainer, Aerohive Networks

Wrap-Up: Top 3 Speed-ups

Eliminate or minimize the repetitive work.Focus on learning the advanced stuff.

1. Design your wireless LAN carefully. Save time with the use of CAD drawingstime with the use of CAD drawings

2. Test and optimize the network periodically

3 Familiarize yourself with the right tools and3. Familiarize yourself with the right tools and best practices to make periodic check-ups and troubleshooting effectively

Wrap-Up: Top 3 Tips

b1. Get management buy-in

2. Get knowledge and experience

3. Best practices are there for a reason

Let’s look at a few examples

• Quick network plan

• Site survey walk-throughSite survey walk through

• Essentials of analysis

“Always design the network as if you will

take the support calls personally

“take the support calls personally

Darrell Derosia

Wi Fi A hit tWi-Fi Architect

Thank You!Twitter: @jussikiviniemi

Email: jussi@Ekahau.comj @