Trying to figure out whether we have a WiFi problem, a design problem, or just unrealistic expectations.
Medium-sized office, mostly open floor plan. Around 180 people when we’re full.
We currently have 6 ceiling APs, all wired. 5 and 6 GHz on the main SSID. Signal is honestly fine pretty much everywhere. Nobody is sitting at -80 dBm complaining about coverage.
When the office is half empty, WiFi is great.
When everyone is in?
It gets ugly.
Zoom starts getting choppy, uploads tank, random users complain their MacBook is hanging onto an AP across the room instead of the one basically above them.
Management’s current solution is, of course:
“Should we just replace all the APs?”
Vendor says maybe add more.
I don’t love either answer.
Where would you guys start?
RF data. Channel plan. Channel widths. Tx power. Clients per radio. Channel utilization. Floor plan. Otherwise everyone here is just throwing darts.
@ED_Sniper Fair.
5 GHz is 40 MHz. 6 GHz is 80. 2.4 is still enabled but most corporate devices are 5/6. Around 25–40 clients per AP depending on the area. DFS currently disabled.
That’s a different story. Have you actually surveyed the office while it’s full, or are you mostly going off the controller and the original design?
@ED_Sniper Not really. Vendor did the design before install, but I don’t think anyone has walked it with survey software during peak hours.
“DFS currently disabled.” Why? You have multiple APs in a big open office and voluntarily threw away a giant chunk of 5 GHz spectrum.
@Fair-Algae-3150 Installer said they wanted to avoid radar events/channel changes.
That’s not completely insane, but “disable all DFS everywhere forever” isn’t much of a design either.
@Fair-Algae-3150 Unless they’re next to an airport/radar source.
Four isn’t automatically crazy either. More APs at lower transmit power can work really well. I’d rather have several appropriately powered cells than two APs screaming at maximum power through half the house.
@Caffeine_Addict_L Sure. Which is why you measure the site instead of treating every office like it’s sitting under an AWACS.
I’d do that before adding APs or replacing anything. NetSpot is a decent option for this if you don’t already have dedicated survey gear. Walk the office when it’s actually busy and map the signal, SNR/SIR and AP overlap in the areas where people complain. If you can, run active measurements there too. Then compare that with the client counts and channel utilization from the controller. Right now you know coverage looks good. You don’t know whether those “good” cells are all fighting for the same airtime.
@Mysterious_Bid_20 Exactly. That’s the distinction I’d want to see before touching the AP count. Good RSSI everywhere can still hide a pretty ugly RF design.
And if the survey shows the same APs stomping all over each other, don’t immediately solve it by hanging four more. Model the change first. NetSpot can do the predictive side too, so at least compare another AP layout / power plan before someone starts drilling holes.