webinar ekahau 5 ways to improve wifi
TRANSCRIPT
The Five Effective Ways to Improve Wi-Fi
Ekahau Webinar March 2012
Jussi Kiviniemi Director, Product Marketing Head of Ekahau Wi-Fi Tools
Understanding the life cycle of a Wi-Fi network – Typical problems & typical tools – The Ekahau offering
Five effective ways to improve your Wi-Fi 1. Learn it 2. See it 3. Monitor it 4. Fix it 5. Clean it
Closing Words & Q&A
Agenda
”Wireless infrastructure planning becomes more critical because of increased needs by each
user.
Both capacity planning and radio interference reduction are important factors to consider”
Gartner Predicts 2012 (Mobile & Wireless):
”More people in the U.S. Will access the internet via mobile devices than through desktop computers or
other wired devices by 2015”
IDC
”Traffic from wireless devices will exceed wired devices by 2015”
Cisco
”Business IP traffic will grow by a factor of 2.7 between 2010 and 2015”
Voice
Data RTLS
Video
Laptops
Smart phones
Tablets Desktops
Tags
Webex
Minimum Coverage
AP overlap
AP placement
Min SNR
Number of users
Bandwitdh per application
Associations per AP
Voice calls per AP
Latency
Packet Loss
Planning Verification Troubleshooting Monitoring
Typical Tools
Off-Site Planning Tools • Placement of
simulated Aps
• Predictive coverage maps
• Automatic placement & configuration of Aps
• Automated reporting
Site Survey Tools • Walk-through site
surveys
• Pre & post deployment support
• Coverage maps
• Performance maps
• Automated reporting
Spectrum Analyzers • Detect & visualize intereference sources
& impact
• See how to avoid interference
Signal Analyzers • Show signal
strength
• Show APs & channels
Packet Analyzers • Collect packets,
visualize issues
• Dissect packets
Wi-Fi Infrastructure • Comprehensive AP-
side monitoring
WIDS/WIPS • Additional layer of
infrastructure for extra monitoring
Client-Side Monitoring Tools • Monitoring occurs
from the true client perspective
Planning Verification Trouble
Shooting Monitoring
Site Survey Pro Planning/site survey/analysis/capacity/reports
Mobile Survey (Android)
Survey/monitor/troubleshoot
Spectrum Analyzer (USB)
Interference analysis
Ekahau Products
HeatMapper Free survey tool
Several great options to learn
– Trainings & Certifications
• Ekahau Certified Survey Engineer (ECSE)
• CWNP Wi-Fi courses, from beginner to advanced
– Blogs: Ekahau Blog, Revolution Wi-Fi, Aerohive Blog, CWNP Blog, dailywireless.org, Jennifer Huber, Wi-Fi Planet
– Youtube: Tons of instructional videos (including ours)
– Literature
#1: Learn it Knowledge is Power
2-day training + 0,5 day certification
Covers all aspects of Wi-Fi design, deployment, and troubleshooting
Focus on Ekahau tools
Hands-on approach for both training & cert
Announcing Ekahau Certified Survey Engineer
#2: See it
You can’t control what you can’t see
Map view is typically very intuitive – For simulations as well as real-world verification
Human eye can easily detect errors invisible to the computer...
... and vice versa
Example: Wi-Fi Coverage Analysis with Ekahau Mobile Survey
•Single AP coverage
•SSID coverage
•2.4/5GHz coverage
•All, My AP coverage
•Configurable minimum coverage
Coverage Heat-Maps
Get familiar with whatever tools your Wi-Fi infrastructure provides
Ask your Wi-Fi vendor about spectrum management, and how it’s done
Floor level is not the same as AP level
– For monitoring from the client perspective, 3rd party tools are needed
#3: Monitor it Know What’s Going On
With Ekahau Mobile Survey running on your Mobile Phone, you can monitor your network from the client-perspective
1. Enable background monitoring
2. Exit the app
3. Continue using phone normally
4. Tool will be silent, until a network error is detected
Example: Client-Side Monitoring Turn Yourself into a Wi-Fi Monitor
Example: Client-Side Monitoring Turn Yourself into a Wi-Fi Monitor
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•Monitors the network on the background
•Allows normal phone usage
•Alerts if network fails
•Monitors even when your phone is in your pocket
Background Monitoring
Well-configured monitoring systems only alarm when needed – The better the monitoring solution, the less the end users will act
as network monitors
When problems are identified, effectively address them: 1. Check the basics
• Signal coverage & data rate • Packet loss & latency • AP & client configs • Nearby APs & their channels
2. Go deeper • Spectrum check • Capacity check • Overview of packet distribution
3. When the going gets tough • Packet analysis
#4: Fix it Make Periodic Checks and Act
Your troubleshooting essentials
– On-the-spot troubleshooting tool (Ekahau Mobile Survey)
– Graphical survey tool (Ekahau Site Survey, Mobile Survey)
– Spectrum Analyzer (Ekahau, Metageek)
– Packet Analyzer (WildPackets, Wireshark, Metageek Eye P.A.)
– Free tools (HeatMapper, inSSIDer, Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android, iPerf)
Some Troubleshooting Tools
Ekahau Mobile Survey for Troubleshooting
•Live monitoring
•Signal strength
•Connection speed
•Packet loss and delay
•Rogue APs
Network Status
Some Ekahau Troubleshooting Tools
Instant, on-the-spot troubleshooting using the Live Network Status view. Take the laptop the problematic location and see what’s wrong
Network Issues visualization pinpoints network problem locations and causes with a single view
Each color represents a different cause for network errors: Low signal or data rate, insufficient overlap, high packet loss, high latency times
Why Spectrum Analysis
We are now in a Wi-Fi Design Era. There are too many consumer electronics operating in the same frequency range as Wi-Fi.
Sometimes you can be in the same room as an Wi-Fi access point and have little to no throughput. How is this possible?
Interference
Use a Spectrum Analyzer to find non-Wi-Fi transmitters. 1. Resolve interference issue.
o Remove interfering transmitter. o Educate customer.
2. Use a different channel or band.
Proactive Interference Analysis
Create a bad wireless environment. • Turn on the cordless phone • Use the microwave oven • Start a download • Start an upload
Proactive Interference Analysis
Look for: • Overlapping Wi-Fi Channels • High Channel utilization • Bright events in the waterfall • SSIDs with high RSSI
Chanalyzer Overview
• Save unlimited length recordings of Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi activity. o Wi-Fi o Cordless Phones
o Wireless video Cameras
o Microwaves
• Track down sources of interference. • Pick the best channel available for Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi is increasingly complex, but don’t be afraid of it
Knowledge and the right tools combined can make life easier
Conclusion