WiFi Planner is a radio propagation prediction app for iPad that can help you improve Wi-Fi coverage in your home or office. Based on the state-of-the-art signal prediction algorithms it can be used to:
◦ Locate a perfect spot for dispersing the signal
◦ Eliminate dead zones in a systematic way
◦ Isolate connectivity problems
◦ Evaluate the network performance for access points in inconvenient locations
◦ Design a network in challenging environments
◦ Provide Wi-Fi signal with great performance in a wider area
FEATURES
◦ Wi-Fi signal propagation prediction
◦ Accurate and computationally efficient 3D ray-tracing algorithm
◦ Full 3D indoor editor based on wall segments
◦ Multistory support
◦ Metric and imperial units
ACCESS POINT LOCATION AND SIGNAL LOSS
One of the issues facing a network designer planning a home or office wireless network is access point (AP) placement in a way to provide minimal signal loss. When there are only a few obstructions that may cause shaded areas, a centrally located AP may be the best bet. This is not the case with the complex floor plans or if we go for multi-story coverage. The process of finding the best location for the AP may be tedious in practice, especially if we want to test many alternative locations with no easy access or we just dont have all the cabling for the experimentation. WiFi Planner is signal prediction software that can assist you in finding the best location for the AP, including the best antenna orientation.
Although the maximum transmitting power is limited by local regulations, the range of Wi-Fi networks is constantly improving by using innovative radio transmitting techniques, such as dual-band operation, multiple-input multiple-output antennas, new modulation standards and beam forming. However, the most important limit which cannot be overcome is set by nature. Electromagnetic waves propagate in space and interact with matter in a way that irreversibly reduces the amount of energy for reception.
PREDICTION BY RAY-TRACING
Signal propagation prediction is used extensively in wireless system design. When accompanied with detailed knowledge of the environment geometry, ray-tracing technique can take into account the majority of paths the real signal would traverse and model actual physical phenomena responsible for propagation of electromagnetic waves. The method uses Fresnel equations for the determination of the reflection and transmission loss. Apart from geometry, the result depends heavily on the material physical characteristics such as permittivity, permeability and conductivity.
In general, ray-tracing gives better predictions than empirical methods at the cost of higher processing time. WiFi Planner, on the other hand, implements computationally efficient ray-tracing algorithm that reduces excessive running times by innovative programming approaches. User can further opt for even faster computation by reducing the number of rays interactions with the scene objects, in which case the signal computation is partially augmented with the empirical Multi-wall-model. The material database with laboratory measured permittivity, permeability and conductivity at Wi-Fi frequencies is included with the software.
Please see the excerpt on the algorithm performance from the upcoming publication that is available on the developer website.