Planner inputs
Enter radio, site, and traffic values to size outdoor coverage with practical overlap and backhaul assumptions.
Example data table
| Scenario | Area | Band | Users | Bandwidth per user | Recommended APs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe patio | 35 m × 20 m | 5.8 GHz | 40 | 3 Mbps | 2 |
| Open farm yard | 120 m × 80 m | 5.8 GHz | 80 | 4 Mbps | 3 |
| Campus walkway | 250 m × 40 m | 6.0 GHz | 150 | 5 Mbps | 6 |
Formula used
EIRP = transmit power + antenna gain − cable loss.
Noise floor = −174 + 10 × log10(channel width in Hz) + noise figure.
Required signal = noise floor + required SNR.
Maximum path loss = EIRP + receive gain − required signal − fade margin − obstruction loss − weather loss.
FSPL distance comes from rearranging free space path loss: FSPL = 32.44 + 20 × log10(frequency MHz) + 20 × log10(distance km).
Coverage AP count = site area ÷ effective cell area, where effective cell area uses usable radius, circular coverage, and overlap reduction.
Capacity AP count = aggregate demand ÷ usable throughput per AP.
Recommended AP count = greater of coverage-based and capacity-based counts.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the outdoor site dimensions and mounting height.
- Select the WiFi generation, frequency band, and channel width.
- Fill in radio assumptions, including power, gain, losses, and SNR.
- Add traffic inputs for users, bandwidth demand, and oversubscription.
- Choose overlap, roaming, and weather assumptions.
- Press the calculate button to place the results above the form.
- Review AP count, spacing, backhaul, and confidence score together.
- Export the results as CSV or PDF for field planning.
FAQs
1. What does this outdoor WiFi planner estimate?
It estimates range, usable cell size, access point count, client demand, backhaul needs, and a rough hardware budget for outdoor coverage planning.
2. Why does the calculator use both coverage and capacity counts?
Coverage tells you how many access points reach the area. Capacity tells you how many are needed for user demand. Real projects need both checks.
3. How does mounting height affect the plan?
Higher mounting can improve line of sight and effective radius. Too much height may also increase interference if cells overlap excessively.
4. Should I always choose the widest channel?
No. Wider channels can increase peak throughput, but they reduce channel reuse and may hurt dense outdoor designs with several access points.
5. What is a good fade margin for outdoor links?
A common planning value is around 10 to 15 dB. Harsher weather, unstable alignment, or noisy environments may require more margin.
6. Does this replace a full wireless site survey?
No. It is a planning calculator. Final deployment still benefits from spectrum checks, mounting validation, client testing, and onsite measurements.
7. What does oversubscription ratio mean here?
It reduces simultaneous demand by assuming not every user consumes peak bandwidth at once. Higher ratios lower estimated aggregate traffic demand.
8. Why is weather included in the model?
Outdoor equipment faces rain, humidity, dust, and seasonal change. Adding weather loss creates a more cautious and practical planning estimate.