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Want a really good survey tool ?

meggerman
Level 1
Level 1

hi,

do cisco offer a really nice graphical survey tool that integrates with WCS ?

I need to do an assisted site survey, can i use WCS (thought it was just a monitoring tool,config tool for use on a server/pc)

I need to walk around and click to point out where my acces points are. the main aim is for location/rfid/rogue tracking but t has to be very acurate !

I have a location appliance and have produced some maps on WCS with ap location, however the location information isnt acurate and the map quality isnt great.

now i know there is airmagnet site survey, but can this be tied into WCS in terms of monitoring maps or is it stand alone and you do away with WCS ?(although i wouldnt want to do this, it has its uses) ?

i find the WCS software basic in terms of tracking and graphical representation.

i hope someone can help on this topic. why can cisco buy airmagnet and integrate with WCS

any sofware cisco offer for survey might be worth a look.

also would LOVE to get the maps in 3D !

cheers

Megz

5 Replies 5

jeromehenry_2
Level 3
Level 3

Hi!

Airmagnet cannot be integrated with WCS.

In any case, you would input a map into the system, so if your map has a good definition you probably can zoom in to position your APs properly under WCS. I would not rely on Airmagnet or any other site survey tool to position APs on a MAP. RF is changing all the time, and location cannot be as accurate as your own knowledge of your network devices position.

Then if location is not accurate enough on WCS, I would run location readiness tool to check if your areas meet the criteria, and then do a calibration, all this on WCS.

I would use Airmagnet to discover a site or troubleshoot it, but I see it as quite different from what WCS does...

Hope it helps

Jerome

so, to simplify.

can you site survey for location readyness using WCS in a mobile sense i.e on a laptop clicking the areas as you go along ?

what tools do cisco offer ?

other mapping products look miles better TBH.

and can other mapping tools run in tandem with WCS.

cheers

Megz

So...

No. Location readiness is a predictive tool used from WCS, without mobile station, and based on your APs density and location. It tells you if, given the number of APs shown on your map and their position, you'll get an accurate location or not (green or red zones).

If location readiness does show green areas but if you are still not happy with the accuracy of the location, you can run a calibration. There, you walk with a mobile device and you click on a map (while connected to the WCS wirelessly), the WCS collects the information and understands better your environment to provide a more accurate location.

Cisco does not provide, as far as I am aware, any site survey tool like Airmagnet or Ekahau. This is not one of their line of products. If you do a site survey, use a "third party tool" as they say. The tools Cisco offers are Cisco Site Survey Utility, integrated in the ADU with a Cisco card, good to analyze a network (signal, APs and so on), but it won't give you a map of coverage.

Apart from this tool, WCS has a lot of features to help you manage your wireless network, but it cannot work with other mapping tools of Airmagnet surveyor type. Honestly, I don't think that creating APIs to allow this kind of interaction would help...

jeromehenry,

thanks for your reply. so my option is to get onto my WCS via laptop and run calibration mode in 'maps' section.

just how dense do AP`s need to be for acurate location, we have an extremley varied wall,floor,roof structure in the hospital i administrate in. We also have surveyed initially for voice (using 7921g) and currently run 2.4ghz 'G' (spent loads only to be left behind in a matter of two years with new mimo 'N' radio :( )

so, just as some extra advise i guess, would moving to 5ghz with smaller cells and a greater density of ap`s help with using both location and voice technologies ?

thanks for your answers and sharing your expertise.

Megz

Depending on how accurate you want to be able to locate devices using rssi, this comes from Cisco, "ocation accuracy specifications to within 10 meters 90% of the time and 5 meters 50% of the time."

Here is the link:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/wireless/technology/location/deployment/guide/depgd.html

As for Voice, as long as you don't have any bad coverage area on the 5GHz, then usually putting the phones on the 5GHz usually helps especially when you have a lot of users on the 2.4GHz or interference. If you are fine with the phones on the 2.4GHz, then I see not reason for you to move them over.

-Scott
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