Wireless Network Planner Form
Example Planning Data
| Scenario | Area | Users | Band | Channel Width | Planned APs | Planning Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Office | 600 m² | 45 | 5 GHz | 40 MHz | 4 | Balanced for roaming and moderate peak demand. |
| Training Center | 1200 m² | 160 | 5 GHz | 40 MHz | 10 | Higher density requires tighter cell planning. |
| Warehouse Zone | 2500 m² | 90 | 5 GHz | 20 MHz | 8 | Coverage dominates because of long aisles. |
| Modern Campus Floor | 1800 m² | 220 | 6 GHz | 80 MHz | 14 | High throughput benefits from wider channels. |
Formula Used
1) Facility Area
Area = Length × Width
2) Concurrent Users
Concurrent Users = Total Users × Concurrency Percentage
3) Peak Traffic Demand
Peak Demand = Concurrent Users × Average User Throughput
4) Required Receive Power
Required Rx = max(Client Sensitivity, Noise Floor + Target SNR)
5) Path Loss at One Meter
PL(1 m) = 32.44 + 20 log10(Frequency MHz) − 60
6) Allowable Path Loss
Allowable Path Loss = AP Tx Power − Required Rx − Obstruction Loss
7) Coverage Radius
Radius = 10 ^ ((Allowable Path Loss − PL(1 m)) / (10 × Path Loss Exponent))
8) Effective Radius
Effective Radius = Coverage Radius × (1 − Overlap Reduction)
9) Coverage Area Per AP
Coverage Area Per AP = π × Radius² × Cell Efficiency Factor
10) Effective AP Throughput
Effective AP Throughput = Band and Width Throughput × Efficiency × Environment Factor
11) AP Counts
APs by Coverage = Area / Coverage Area Per AP
APs by Capacity = Peak Demand / Effective AP Throughput
APs by Density = Concurrent Users / Maximum Users Per AP
12) Final Recommendation
Final APs = max(Coverage, Capacity, Density) × (1 + Redundancy)
How to Use This Tool
- Enter your facility length and width in meters.
- Add total user count and expected average throughput.
- Set the percentage of users active during peak periods.
- Choose the wireless band and channel width.
- Select an environment profile matching building conditions.
- Enter signal, noise, obstruction, and AP density assumptions.
- Submit the form to view the recommended AP count.
- Review the chart, notes, and export options afterward.
This planner gives a strong starting point. Final wireless design should still include on-site validation, channel surveys, and post-install tuning.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What does this planner estimate?
It estimates access point counts using coverage, capacity, and client density. The final recommendation takes the highest requirement and then adds redundancy reserve.
2) Is the result suitable for production deployment?
It is a planning estimate, not a replacement for a site survey. Use it for budgeting, early design, and scenario comparison before detailed validation.
3) Why can capacity require more APs than coverage?
High user demand can exhaust airtime even when signal reaches the area. In dense environments, throughput often becomes the real limiting factor.
4) How should I choose channel width?
Use narrower channels when interference and reuse pressure are high. Use wider channels when spectrum is cleaner and throughput demand is strong.
5) What does overlap reduction mean?
It reduces the raw coverage radius to reflect roaming overlap, practical cell edges, and conservative indoor planning. Higher overlap usually increases required AP counts.
6) Why is the environment profile important?
Different environments change propagation and effective throughput. Dense walls, shelving, and concrete increase loss, shrink cells, and often reduce client performance.
7) Should I always add redundancy reserve?
Usually yes. Redundancy helps during outages, unexpected client growth, and performance spikes. The correct reserve depends on business criticality and resilience goals.
8) Can I use this for 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz planning?
Yes. The planner supports all three bands. Still, practical design should account for local regulations, device compatibility, and available channel plans.