Office Networks
Part of Small office networking
Planning Wi-Fi Coverage for the Workspace: Survey & Check
Map where staff work, choose candidate access-point locations and check Wi-Fi coverage and busy-room capacity using real tasks.
Use a scaled floor plan to mark work areas, model candidate access-point positions and plan a repeatable walk-through. After installation, check signal in every required area and repeat the actual tasks during busy use.
Planning Wi-Fi Coverage: Key Steps for Australian Workspaces
- Use a scaled floor planMark work areas, access points and movement routes; ensure it reflects actual building dimensions.
- Identify key areasNote desks, meeting rooms, reception and high-traffic zones; record device usage and task types.
- Model access-point placementsUse tools like Ekahau AI Pro to simulate coverage; account for concrete, steel and energy-efficient glass.
- Test before permanent installationWalk through with real devices and complete tasks under busy conditions; record interruptions.
Mark the areas that matter
On a floor plan or sketch, mark desks, meeting rooms, reception, shared work areas and routes where people use devices while moving. Mark where coverage is needed or unnecessary, and note walls, concrete, steel, energy-efficient glass, large metal fittings and nearby wireless networks that may affect the signal.
For each important area, record the usual task and device. Count the devices likely to be active together in a busy room, and note any performance needs for those tasks. Coverage and capacity differ: a device may connect to Wi-Fi while shared use still disrupts the work.
| Area | Task to try | What to observe |
|---|---|---|
| Workstation | Open a usual work service | Whether the task completes without interruption |
| Meeting room at normal occupancy | Join a work call | Interruptions while other devices are active |
| Edge of the workspace | Complete a mobile task | Delays or disconnections |
| Route between rooms | Continue a task while moving | Whether the task survives the move |
Use the applications and devices staff actually rely on. A successful connection icon is not a substitute for completing the task.
Wi-Fi Performance Metrics for Australian Offices
- Minimum Signal for Good Experience
- 67 dBm
- Common Interference Sources
- Concrete walls, steel beams, energy-efficient glass, nearby networks
Choose candidate access-point locations
Scale the floor plan to the building’s actual dimensions, then draw the walls. Ekahau AI Pro’s predictive workflow imports and scales a plan, draws walls, selects an AP model and places APs for primary coverage; its model can show how changes to AP locations affect coverage.
Use the layout to compare candidate positions across all marked rooms. Concrete, steel and energy-efficient glass can weaken signals, while enclosed offices can create shadow zones; installing too many APs can be as problematic as installing too few.
Model enough APs to cover the required areas, and assess their locations together if more than one is needed. Check the spaces between them as well as the rooms nearest each one; secondary coverage helps roaming between APs and provides redundancy if one fails.
Each candidate position needs power and a connection back to the office network. Where the internet enters the building may suit cabling but still be poor for Wi-Fi coverage.
For a difficult layout, or work that cannot tolerate dropped connections, ask a network specialist to assess the areas, interference and busy-room capacity. Agree how the installed design will be checked.
Walk the workspace and record what happens
Where practical, test candidate equipment in its planned position before fixing it permanently. Walk the marked areas with a representative device and complete the relevant task. Record the location, device, task, time and interruption, and repeat important tasks during ordinary busy use.
Ekahau Sidekick 2 can be used to complete a Wi-Fi coverage survey. Check received primary signal in the marked areas; Ekahau gives -67 dBm or greater as the minimum signal for a good experience in most scenarios.
After installation, repeat the same route and tasks. Treat each required area as ready when its primary signal reaches at least -67 dBm and staff can complete the usual task on the usual device; repeat checks during busy use in shared areas.
If an area performs poorly, investigate placement and interference before adding equipment. A specialist post-validation can also check coverage overlap, signal-to-noise ratio, noise floor, bleed-through, rogues and interferers.
Ask staff reporting a problem for its location, time and affected task. Keep those observations with the network plan so later changes can be compared with the original setup.
If Wi-Fi works locally but an internet-based task still struggles, investigate the internet service or application as a separate possible cause.
Wi-Fi Coverage Validation Checklist
- Test each marked area with usual devicesConfirm task completion under normal load.
- Check signal strength ≥ -67 dBmUse Ekahau Sidekick 2 or similar tool for accuracy.
- Verify roaming between access pointsComplete mobile tasks while moving between rooms.
- Document issues reported by staffInclude location, time and task affected for future reference.
- Investigate internet or app issues separatelyIf local Wi-Fi works but online tasks fail, check ISP or cloud service performance.
