Interactive Survey & Design
STEP ONE/ c, spectrum analysis
spectrum analysis screen capture
It’s all about the RF
Each year the working world increasingly embraces the many advantages that wireless LANs (WLANs) offer, including the increased productivity of un-tethered computing and ubiquitous information access. But the 802.11 technologies underlying WLANs are sensitive to radio frequency (RF) interference, and the sources of RF interference are many: microwave ovens; 2.4 GHz and 5GHz phones; neighboring wireless networks; Bluetooth (802.15.1) devices; all electric motors with brushes; rectifiers; and devices as seemingly innocuous as heaters.
Similarly, point-to-point (P2P) wireless links offer a rapidly deployable and cost-effective technology to connect sites without running wires, but the microwave technology underlying point-to-point wireless links is also susceptible to the same sorts of RF interference.
spectrum analysis screen capture
A comprehensive solution requires a comprehensive RF survey
To successfully deploy RF-based technologies, such as WLANs and P2P, the designer must accurately assess the RF environment in which the equipment will operate. Thus, in addition to the site survey, in which Summit’s team of trained and certified engineers build an accurate map 
of the physical plant, they also perform a spectrum analysis. This analysis accurately identifies and maps potential sources of interference across a broad spectrum of frequencies—not just those associated with 802.11a/b/g or point-to-point frequencies.
Summit’s customized suite of spectrum analysis tools utilizes the latest in spectrum analysis equipment to analyze and pinpoint specific ranges of RF interference. Our trained and certified technicians use tools from Agilent (communication test analyzers), AirMagnet (handheld spectrum analyzers), Cognio (PCMCIA spectrum analyzers), and others.
Putting it all together
Summit then designs a truly customized solution that incorporates the business survey, the site survey, and the spectrum analysis. See the next step, iterative design and testing.
NEXT: STEP ONE/ d, iterative design and testing
