Ekahau Site Survey (ESS) is a tool for the planning and troubleshooting of Wireless LAN deployments throughout the organization. The product runs as a stand alone application that can be loaded on a PC laptop equipped with a wireless NIC; with 802.11a, b, and g gear supported.

The tool allows administrators and troubleshooters to determine optimum placement of APs throughout their organization, as well as helps them to troubleshoot wireless performance in selected areas. Specifically, tech personnel can walk the ESS equipped laptop around the building, with the software automatically interacting with the laptop's wireless NIC and creating a coverage map of the current wireless topology; including the current location of discovered APs and their color-coded signal areas. This generated survey can be overlayed on a user-supplied floor plan of the organization, allowing the technician to visually see and interact with (more below) the map to understand how the current WLAN gear interacts (or interferes) in the overall performance of their network.

Once the survey is taken, various tools provide for the analysis of the resulting visual coverage map and its data. Various metrics can be displayed in a visual, color coded manner including device signal strength, SNR, data rate, overlap, and more; with data displayed per AP, per channel, per network, or any combination. Both simulated (more below) and surveyed data can be combined in the displays, and a "Fill Grid" feature can automatically predict signal levels in areas that were unreachable in the technician's initial survey route. The vendor further states that the data can be used to locate rogue or unlocked access points in the organization.

In addition to seeing the results of the physical WLAN coverage, the technician can additionally apply basic what-if simulations to the map, with predicted changes being displayed as part of the analysis. Channel changes, network load changes, and fail over simulations are all supported; as are the simulation of how differing NICs would work in the WLAN.

The above features are all supported in the Standard version of ESS. Additional modules are available that can be added to the package, providing extended planning and reporting tools to the platform (a Pro version of the product is offered that includes all of the available modules). Key among these is the Planner Module, which facilitates offline planning by enabling the technician to use drag and drop/point and click tools to physically model their potential WLAN deployment, including the ability to indicate the specific materials of walls; indicate the potential placement of specific APs (as well their antenna types, and if applicable, directions); and indicate the specific physical characteristics of the APs (transmit power, channel, etc.) with the software showing the predicted coverage as a result of the designed plan. Other available modules include the Reporter Module, which provides template-based reporting and allows for the creation of customized reports including access point and survey information, notes, heat maps, etc.; and the GPS Module, which allows for the use of a GPS handheld in the automated creation of outdoor surveys.

New features in the latest release of ESS include:

- Support for 3-D coverage predictions, thereby enabling the viewing of performance characteristics in multi-level floor plans

- Specific optimization support for light-weight access points

- The ability to automatically locate all nearby access points

- "On-Spot Check," which allows the technician to physically visit a problem spot with an ESS/WNIC enabled laptop and view real-time coverage information about that specific location for troubleshooting purposes

- A new "Network Health" map which provides insight into the potential of a particular coverage map to work for a specific need (for example, VoIP), with troubleshooting information provided as to why the current coverage would not work for the intended use, if applicable

- Integration with the vendor's RTLS platform, allowing the technician to perform only one survey verification walk through that can additionally be used as the calibration walk through for RTLS (and beginning with the next version of ESS, ESS will be included in the RTLS package)

- Windows Vista support

ESS is available now; the new features are scheduled for availability in January of 2008. Pricing is $1,695 for the Standard version, and $3,495 for the Pro version.

Visit the Ekahau Web site for further information.