WiFi Surveys (Ekahau)
Predictive Surveys.
Floor-plan-based wireless design using Ekahau AI Pro to model coverage, capacity, and AP placement before any physical installation.
Overview
What is Predictive Surveys?
Predictive WiFi surveys use Ekahau AI Pro to model wireless coverage and performance based on floor plans, wall materials, and AP specifications without requiring physical site access. The software simulates signal propagation to recommend optimal AP placement, channel assignments, and power levels. This is the ideal starting point for new builds, renovations, or pre-deployment planning.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why Predictive Surveys matters.
A wireless design on paper is the cheapest place to find a mistake. Once cable is pulled and ceilings are closed, moving an access point means new drops, new approvals and sometimes a second visit from the cabling crew. A predictive model lets the people paying for the network argue about coverage, capacity and appearance while a change still costs only a few edits. Without one, teams tend to copy a layout from another building or follow a spacing rule of thumb, and the result is often a mix of dead corners and crowded channels that only shows up after staff move in.
A good predictive deliverable reads like a design record rather than a picture. It states the assumptions behind the model: which devices were expected, what data rates were required, which bands and channel widths were planned, and what the walls and glass were taken to be made of. That record lets an installer, a security reviewer and a future engineer understand why each access point sits where it does. It also gives a later validation survey something precise to measure against, so a disagreement about performance can be settled with evidence instead of opinion.
SCOPE
Scope of service.
- 01Floor plan import, scaling, and wall material annotation
- 02Simulated AP placement based on coverage and capacity targets
- 03Signal strength, SNR, and channel overlap heatmap generation
- 04Recommended AP models, mounting locations, and antenna types
- 05Bill of materials for APs, mounts, and cabling drops
- 06Iterative design refinement based on stakeholder feedback
CHOOSING
Choosing this service.
What to decide before you order, and what sits outside the scope.
Predictive or measured design
When floor plans are current and construction is conventional, a predictive design is often enough. If the building has unknown materials, heavy metal or thick masonry, consider adding onsite measurement. Decide this early, because it changes site access, scheduling and how much weight you can put on the model.
Define what the network must do
Coverage alone is a weak target. Decide which areas carry voice, video, scanners or guest traffic, and what minimum speed each needs. A design for a quiet office and a design for a crowded training room look very different, so write the goals down before ordering.
How site size changes the work
A single floor can be modeled quickly, while a campus with several buildings needs more review rounds and more material research. Large sites are often split into phases by building or floor, so the design can be approved and ordered in stages.
Gather plans and material notes
The model is only as good as its inputs. Collect the latest floor plans, ceiling heights, wall and glass types, and any renovation drawings. If a plan is out of date, say so up front, because a wrong wall can move an access point.
Not included
- Physical measurement inside the building is not part of this service, so unknown materials remain assumptions in the model.
- Buying, mounting, cabling and configuring the access points is separate work, quoted on its own if you want it.
- Correcting or redrawing architectural plans is not performed, so out-of-date floor plans must be supplied by your team.
- Testing the installed network against the design is a separate validation survey rather than part of the predictive design.
USE CASES
Typical scenarios.
A developer planning a new office building wanting to include optimal WiFi infrastructure in the construction specifications.
A retailer redesigning store layouts and needing to know where to relocate access points for coverage in the new floor plan.
A hospital expanding a wing and needing a wireless design that supports real-time location services and clinical devices.
PROCESS
How the work runs.
- 1
Build the model
The engineer imports your floor plans, sets the scale, and draws walls, glass, doors and floors from the material information you supply. Areas where the construction is uncertain are flagged in the model rather than guessed silently.
- 2
Set design requirements
Coverage, data rate, capacity and band targets are entered for each zone, so dense rooms and quiet corridors are planned against different goals instead of one blanket setting for the whole floor.
- 3
Place and tune
Access points are positioned in the model, then channels, widths and transmit power are adjusted until the simulated heatmaps meet the targets and overlap between neighboring access points is kept under control.
- 4
Review and revise
You receive the draft design and heatmaps, comment on placement and appearance, and the model is revised until the design is accepted. The project file, parts list and assumptions record are then handed over.
RELATED
What you receive and where it applies.
Case studies are representative scenarios, not named clients.
GUIDES
Guides and checklists.
RELATED
More WiFi Surveys (Ekahau) services.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
How accurate are predictive surveys?
What information do you need from us?
Can predictive surveys model high-density environments?
Do you support WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 in predictive designs?
What happens if our floor plan changes after the design is delivered?
Who chooses the access point models in the design?
Can you design for areas that are not built yet?
QUOTE
Request a quote.
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Get started
Need engineers on site? Tell us where.
Tell us the sites, the scope and the timeline. We reply with a written plan.