Best Practices Checklist
September 4, 2014
This chapter discusses the best practices check list while deploying a CMX solution.
1.
Familiarize yourself with RF basics.
2.
Familiarize yourself with 802.11 fundamentals and location fundamentals.
3.
Check for regulatory domain restrictions in the area.
4.
Conduct pre-site survey:
- Assess building type and materials used
- Anticipate difficult zones:
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Areas where full coverage and full performance is needed.
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Areas where location is important and needed.
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Areas where RF free zones exist.
- Business needs of the WLAN
- How will the network look in two years.
- Plan for future client explosion
- Scale of the planning
- Expected audience of the network
- Constraints on deployment
- DFS and radar avoidance requirement
- Aesthetic design requirements
- Predictive surveys for simple budgeting
- Plan for cabling, power drops, and power requirements
- Obtain location maps for RF surveys later
- Thorough versus sample area survey
- 802.11n/ac readiness and expectations
- Outdoor readiness
- Location where access points can be deployed
- Capture existing 802.11
- Plan for persistent non-movable interferers
- Antenna evaluation
- High density consideration
5.
Conduct predictive site survey.
- Use Prime Infrastructure RF Planner tool to design a RF plan
- Use Ekahau Site Survey planner to design a RF plan in absence of Cisco Prime Infrastructure
- Location tracking = AP per 2500 sqft
- Enter signal strength to be -67 dBm
- SNR should to be >= 20 dBm
- Data rate to be 12 mbps
- Ping round trip should be <= 500ms
- Packet loss should be <= 10%
- Remember, minimum number of APs for location tracking is three.
6.
AP placement guidelines
- APs should be < 70 feet apart.
- Use directional antennas where necessary.
- Plan for coverage with location calculation in mind.
- Use staggered layout for placing APs, not a straight line.
- Plan to avoid interferers and installation of APs over interfering sources.
- Ensure perimeter coverage.
- Use a single type of AP across the installation.
7.
AP Capacity planning
- Plan with client density and client type in mind.
- Plan for minimum application performance needed.
- Plan for future growth of client types.
- Consider high density design if a location demands it.
8.
Antennas
- Select the ideal antenna for installation depending on building and aesthetic requirements
- Be aware of power requirements with antennas.
9.
Post-RF deployment
- Turn on RRM and let the network settle before go live.
- Turn on Clean Air on capable access points.
- Conduct post-site survey regularly to keep a watch on RF.