Overview
AirMagnet Survey is the industry's most accurate WLAN design and
deployment solution for optimal performance, security and
compliance. Today's wireless service providers, managed-service
providers, and network infrastructure vendors all consider site
surveys a mandatory and vital part of the wireless LAN deployment
process. AirMagnet Survey stands apart from other market solutions
by enabling enterprises to collect live signal, packet and spectrum
data during their site surveys. This allows enterprises to simulate
and measure network performance in the most scientific way
possible-with the most accurate depiction of a real-world user
experience-which ultimately results in a better performing
network.
AirMagnet Survey is Available in Two Versions
AirMagnet Survey Express: The Express version allows
the user to perform the basics of WiFi site surveying with ability
to map out signal, noise and even user performance.
AirMagnet Survey PRO: The PRO version extends those
capabilities found in the Express version and adds powerful,
industry-defining features including 802.11n deployments,
multi-floor deployments, outdoor surveys, network design
verification, voice surveys, RF spectrum analysis, and many
more.
Complete Design and Deployment Solution
Users can use AirMagnet Survey for all stages of designing and
deploying of wireless networks. This starts right from deployment
of new wireless networks to verifying the effectiveness of the
current one to optimization of the network deployment as the
network expands with new users or new applications like voice/video
are introduced over the wireless network.
Perform Comprehensive Site Surveys
AirMagnet's passive site surveying capability produces an
excellent overview of the entire wireless environment including
sources of noise and any wireless signals from neighboring
networks. AirMagnet provides the industry's only survey solution
that includes active surveying capability so that you can measure
and map actual end-user network performance. The application
associates itself to a specific AP and exchanges data to emulate an
end-user and map how they perform in terms of data rates, retry
rates and packet losses.
Additional Features Available in AirMagnet Survey
PRO
Properties of Wi-Fi devices, especially 802.11n can be different on
the uplink and downlink side. Survey PRO's unique Iperf
surveying capability allows users to measure this real-world uplink
and downlink network performance.
Detailed Analysis and Deployment
Guidance
When it's time to analyze results, AirMagnet Survey provides the
most accurate, data-rich analysis possible. Survey provides a
visual Wi-Fi "weather map" of the coverage and performance of the
network. Users can choose from a comprehensive list of coverage
maps, namely, signal, SNR, Channel Interference, data rates,
losses, retries and many more.
To visualize how the performance and coverage of the network has
changed over time, users can perform periodic site surveys and use
the application's unique capability of allowing side-by-side
comparison of two separate surveys.
Additional Features Available
in AirMagnet Survey PRO
Since signal strength is not an accurate predictor of 11n
performance, user MUST have the AirMagnet Survey solution in order
to properly deploy 11n networks and to take advantage of the
extended coverage improvements that are possible with 11n.Survey
provides users with coverage maps built specifically for 802.11n
networks, including ones for device operating modes (Greenfield,
mixed-mode, legacy), channel width (20/40 Mhz) and 802.11n network
performance (Transmit and Receive MCS rates).
Voice Over WLAN Deployments
AirMagnet Survey is the industry's first true voice-grade site
survey product for wireless helping address challenges to not only
design and deploy the network optimally at the start to minimize
end user issues using AirMagnet's built-in voice readiness
verification system (with pre-configured profiles for Cisco and
Vocera phones and the ability to create profiles for other phone
vendors), but also to perform real-world voice surveys* on an
ongoing basis. With these voice surveys users can validate and plot
the phone call performance, capacity, RF coverage and roaming
behavior at every location on a floor map, to help identify and
minimize issues leading to low call performance. Users can also
track roaming behavior of the phones in a floor-map view and plan
their future deployment decisions to mitigate any negative impact
on the phone call performance due to roaming.
* Ability to perform voice surveys requires AirMagnet VoFi
Analyzer PRO (purchased separately) to be installed on the same
machine as AirMagnet Survey PRO.
Perform Accurate Network Simulations
The live data collected from surveys enables users to simulate
and measure network performance in the most scientific way
possible-with the most accurate depiction of a real-world user
experience. Users can relocate APs on the map and adjust AP
configurations-such as Power, Channel, SSID, and Noise Floor-to
simulate changes until optimal settings are achieved.
Maximize
Security
Along with meeting performance requirements, AirMagnet Survey
can be used to monitor for RF spillage outside the corporate
building. This spillage should be kept to a minimum, unless service
is to be provided in the parking lot or the outdoor area.
Use
AirWISE® to Verify Wi-Fi network's Design
Requirements
Available in AirMagnet Survey PRO only
AirWISE® is an encyclopedia source for expert survey advice.
AirWISE® displays all areas that fail to meet the design
requirements of the network, and provides recommendations and
procedures for problem resolution. Whether designing the network
for voice or new 802.11n networks or planning for end-user
capacity, AirWISE® provides the guidance needed.
Professional
Reporting
Available in AirMagnet Survey PRO only
AirMagnet Survey PRO includes a completely integrated reporting
module that instantly creates custom outputs of site surveys and
simulations. Reports include coverage, interference assessments of
every channel, SSID, and AP and 802.11n specific reports. Reports
can be generated in over 15 formats including PDF, XML, HTML, and
Microsoft Excel.
Perform Detailed RF and Spectrum
Analysis
AirMagnet Survey includes coverage maps for the RF noise and
channel interference present in the environment. This information
is helpful for planning the channel deployment for deployed/planned
APs.
Additional
Features Available in AirMagnet Survey
PRO
AirMagnet Survey PRO integrates with AirMagnet Spectrum
Analyzer* and Cisco Spectrum Expert*, enabling both Wi-Fi and
spectrum analysis data to be collected in a single walkthrough.
Airmagnet Survey PRO automatically identifies and displays the
presence of non-802.11 devices that are interfering with the WLAN
at the site survey locations. A simple user-interface shows a
location-specific FFT spectrum plot for every data point, providing
the most complete view of the wireless environment possible. Users
can also use the RF spectrum heat map to visualize the average
power level in the RF spectrum for each channel at any given point
on the map.
* AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer and Cisco Spectrum Expert must be
purchased separately and installed on the same machine as AirMagnet
Survey PRO.
Visualize Signal Bleeding between
Floors
Available in AirMagnet Survey PRO only
AirMagnet Survey PRO provides the ability to analyze up to 4
separate projects simultaneously. Users can load multiple floors of
a single building to see if AP signals are bleeding to adjacent
floors and in turn prevent any over-deployment that may lead to
increased costs and interference in the network.
Perform Outdoor
Surveys
Available in AirMagnet Survey PRO only
With the combination of GPS support, 4.9 GHz support and
integration with Google Earth, Microsoft® MapPoint™ and Microsoft®
Virtual Earth™, AirMagnet Survey PRO provides a clear path to fast,
fully automated outdoor surveys. Users can leverage their NMEA
compliant GPS device to automatically collect outdoor wireless
data. The results can then be analyzed in the AirMagnet user
interface or exported into Google Earth.