Network planning

It is recommended that you perform a proper site survey prior positioning the wireless access point. In order to evaluate the coverage area environment, the following criteria must be taken into account:

• Size of coverage area
• Bandwidth required
• Client wireless capabilities

After completing a RF site survey, you’ll have a good idea of the number and location of access points needed to provide users with adequate coverage and performance.

However, prior to installing the access points, be sure to determine the RF channel(s) you plan to use. This will ensure that users can roam throughout the facility with substantial performance.

To avoid co-channel interference, adjacent Wi-Fi APs must be configured to use non-overlapping channels. Otherwise, you’ll find poor performance will degrade because of interference between access points.

It is recommended to statically configure the non-overlapping channels on every access point, using one Custom AP profile per AP (or group of APs). If static configuration cannot be used, the FortiOS Wi-Fi Controller includes the Automatic Radio Resource Provisioning (ARRP) feature.