Ekahau Site Survey 8.0 (ESS) significantly cuts the time it takes to deploy a new wireless network.
It also adds advanced field analysis features, giving you the assurance that you can cost effectively deliver an end-user Wi-Fi experience that rivals a fixed network, irrespective of building or location complexities.
Wall Outlining Wizard removes major headache for Wi-Fi architects and saves time and money
Mapping building walls against their build component is reported to be one of the greatest headaches faced by network engineers and Wi-Fi architects.
The new Wall Outlining Wizard has been developed in response to this feedback and makes a process that has, until now slowed down the time it takes to deliver a new or upgraded Wi-Fi network, quick and easy.
Where previously it would take hours, sometimes days to manually draw the building’s walls and then define against these the component materials of each wall, often for multi-floor building, this can now be done in five minutes!
Using existing building blueprints for absolute accuracy
The existing CAD (computer aided design) architectural blueprints of a building can be imported into ESS 8.0. The complex plans are automatically converted into a simple, but very accurate representation of the planning environment.
Once converted, the Auto-Planner feature then automatically maps the best location for each Wi-Fi access points (APs). These suggestions are based on the pre-defined user requirements, for example; “The network must support 1,000 simultaneous voice calls made by smartphone users.”
Retaining planning autonomy for complex and listed buildings
- It is still easy for some or all access points to be manually placed on the floor plan by the network engineer, vital in locations where there are complexities like advertising hoardings or where structural changes to the building are restricted, for example.
- Once manually mapped, ESS accurately simulates the expected network coverage, performance and capacity.
- Ekahau Site Survey 8.0 is ideal for anyone who maintains or designs Wi-Fi networks, from IT administrators to systems integrators.
What the Wi-Fi experts say
“Being able to use existing CAD blueprints in Wi-Fi network designs is a huge development.”
A building that once required eight hours of manual wall drawing work can now be mapped by ESS in just five minutes. This frees up network engineers to focus more time on designing a great network and less time drawing walls.
“The developments in ESS 8.0 will change the way that Wi-Fi networks are designed.”
This break through Wi-Fi planner goes beyond design. Just as vital is the ability to test Wi-Fi capacity for the lifetime of the network.
“Ekahau Site Survey 8.0 introduces unrivalled throughput site survey capabilities.”
This allows heavy-duty network testing to ensure the smooth operation of increasingly high demand applications including voice over Wi-Fi and streaming video.
Free upgrade for ESS users
The ESS 8.0 upgrade is free for existing Ekahau Site Survey customers with an active support and maintenance contract. Open Reality is the sole distribution partner for Ekahau in the UK.
In addition to the hundreds of systems integrators that Open Reality supports, there are thousands of end-user customers using Ekahau in-house for Wi-Fi planning and testing including private and public sector organisations, NHS facilities, leisure groups and education establishments.
If you are interested in more information, please get in touch with one of Open Reality’s Wi-Fi planning experts or by following Jussi Kiviniemi of Ekahau on Twitter @jussikiviniemi
- Intelligent ‘Wall Outlining Wizard’ – automatically enters the material components of individual walls, saving hours and maximising Wi-Fi performance.
- Supports input of 3D radiation patterns for latest antennas and access points from manufacturers including Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus, Samsung and Acceltex.
- Advanced throughput testing capabilities for comprehensive field site survey work.
