What are Wi-Fi heat-maps, and how can they help your business?
Having a reliable Wi-Fi network for your business is not just nice to have anymore, it’s essential for any business. Thankfully, gone are the days of wandering around with your wireless device waiting for the signal strength indicator to increase. There are now technology tools out there that we can use to help organisations visualise and optimise their wireless network performance – like heat-mapping, which helps to get a clear visual on where your best areas and dead-zones are.
What are Wi-Fi Heat-maps?
According to our partners at Ekahau, “a Wi-Fi heat-map is a visual representation of wireless signal coverage and strength within a specific area, typically overlaid on a building or facility floor plan.” The visualisation helps network owners gain a clear understanding of problematic locations, so that they can start trying to troubleshoot and fix any issues. A site survey is usually conducted using specialised software that allows for the collection of data on signal strength, interference, and other critical parameters. This data is then used to generate a visual map, highlighting areas that require attention.
Generally, heat-map sensors use a colour-coding system to show signal strength in different areas, for example, red for the strongest, blue for weak and yellow and orange are mid-range strength. These are laid over a previously uploaded floor plan of your workplace to help identify your best and weakest spots.
What can heat-mapping help with?
Identifying Dead Zones
Wi-Fi heat-maps enable businesses to quickly identify areas with weak or no signal and detect signal leakage too. Addressing these issues quickly can ensure your coverage is comprehensive and that your network is secure.
Access Point Placement
Poorly designed networks can be expensive and cause interference if you have too many APs (access points) installed unnecessarily or, if you have coverage gaps with too few APs. By providing a visual representation of signal strength across different areas, heat-maps assist in determining the best placement of EPs. By being strategic about positioning we can help ensure consistent connectivity throughout your workplace.
Network Security
Heat-maps can reveal areas where the Wi-Fi signal extends beyond the intended boundaries (signal leak), potentially exposing the network to security threats. Identifying and addressing these areas helps to strengthen your network security.
Improving Network Performance
Regularly updating Wi-Fi heat-maps allows businesses to monitor network performance and make necessary adjustments. This proactive approach helps in maintaining optimal performance, and reducing any downtime you might experience.
Creating a Wi-Fi heat-map involves conducting a site survey using specialised software to be analysed by network professionals. Our Insite CX ICT solutions experts, with the assistance of heat-mapping tools like Ekahau’s products, conduct comprehensive audits and heat-map assessments of workplace environments to ensure that your wi-fi network is tailored, optimised and future-proofed for your organisation.
If you’d like information about how we can help your business with Wi-Fi heat-mapping or any of our other services, get in touch with us today.
