The challenge
The site combines warehouses, loading docks, production lines, technical rooms and mobile terminals. A site-wide average would have hidden two opposite realities: some zones already had a strong primary signal, while others offered neither sufficient coverage nor the service continuity needed for roaming.
The audit
The passive survey and spectrum analysis for this industrial Wi-Fi audit were carried out with Ekahau AI Pro and Ekahau Sidekick 2 across the 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz bands. Compliance rates were calculated on the areas actually walked, so that outdoor parts of the site plan could not skew the results.
The study covered primary signal, secondary coverage, SNR, co-channel interference, third-party equipment and migration constraints. Additional probe-based monitoring was planned to observe service quality and DFS events over time.
Very different situations from one zone to the next
- In logistics, more than 90% of the mapped area reached the selected 5 GHz signal threshold.
- In that same zone, 2.4 GHz density was excessive over almost two thirds of the analysed area.
- In production, less than 40% of the surveyed area reached the 5 GHz coverage threshold.
- Coverage by a second AP remained below 20% in critical production zones.
- Some technical levels were only partly covered, or had no usable coverage at all.
- A permanent source of interference and several third-party Wi-Fi devices were flagged for investigation.
From findings to works
The target design was not simply a matter of adding access points. It took into account 6 GHz coverage, the redundancy needed for mobility, the channel plan, channel widths, SSIDs, security and mounting constraints: high up on suitable structures in industrial zones, on the ceiling in offices.
The deliverable includes a phased migration plan, the mapping between existing and target equipment, the additions required, cabling needs and post-deployment validation criteria.
The deliverable links every measured weakness to a concrete action: configuration, replacement, relocation, addition, cabling or further validation.