AirMapper Settings

Setting up the AirMapper app to perform a survey involves naming the survey, loading a floor plan image, specifying its dimensions, setting scanning mode, and overriding bands and channels.

  • Only .png and .jpg image files types are supported.

  • You may need to use an image editing application to crop your floor plan image to known dimensions, such as the walls of a building or property boundary.

Access the AirMapper settings by selecting the menu icon or settings icon at the top of the main app screen.

Configuring an AirMapper Survey

Name

Tap the Name field to enter a custom name for your AirMapper project. This name is uploaded to Link-Live to identify this survey project.

Description

Enter any additional information you want for the survey.

Floor Plan

NOTE: You can configure floor plans on Link-Live and then send them to your EtherScope nXG. A notification appears when a new floor plan arrives:


The new floor plan is added to the existing floor plans but is not automatically selected.

To select a floor plan:

  1. Tap Floor Plan to open the list of available floor plans.

  2. Select a floor plan or load a new floor plan by tapping the floating action button , using the file selector to navigate to the new map image file, and then tapping the file to select it. This displays the Floor Plan menu.

  3. Fill out the remaining fields for the Floor Plan as needed:

Name: Enter a name for this floor plan. This field defaults to the file name.

Imported File: The original image file name.

Dimensions: Tap this option to display the floor plan with two markers. Move the markers to two places on the floor plan that are a known distance apart. Then tap Marker Distance to enter the distance between the two points. (Set the units (feet or meters) in the General Settings for the test apps, accessed from the left-side navigation drawer .) When finished, tap to return to the Floor Plan menu.

Signal Propagation: Tap to enter a value for the propagation radius for the survey sample points.

Signal Level Threshold

This setting designates the minimum signal level at which Wi-Fi devices must be detected for their data to be included in the heatmap. Tap the field to select a new value or enter a custom one. The default of -85 dBm excludes devices with a very low signal. You can enter a custom signal level threshold of -10 to -99 dBm.

NOTE: As of software version 2.8, the new default threshold of -85 dBm excludes device data that was previously included by default on survey heatmaps.

Survey Mode

Tap Survey Mode to select the Wi-Fi data collection method that best suits your Wi-Fi environment and survey data collection requirements:

  1. Auto Sampling (Passive) is the default and preferred way to perform a survey. AirMapper automatically records data (at the interval specified with the Auto Sampling Period setting) between two points that you choose. This simplifies data sampling and can prevent oversampling. For example, if your survey includes a long hallway or open space, you can take a manual sample measurement at one end of the area, go to the other end, and then take another measurement. AirMapper fills in the line between the two measurements with automatic measurements made at the sampling period. See Collecting AirMapper Data for more information.

  2. Current Scan (Passive) Passive surveys allow immediate data collection based on the most recent AP beacon seen from each BSSID. AP BSSIDs age out after 140 seconds, and Wi-Fi clients age-out after 4 minutes. For EXG-200 only: AP BSSIDs age out after 30 seconds.

  3. Scan Once (Passive) is more precise but more time-consuming. When a point is selected, all the BSSID information is cleared, and the unit acquires a single scan of the selected channels for the selected dwell time. This gives an exact measurement. However, in congested environments any beacons not seen during the dwell time are not included in that sample point.

  4. Connected (Active) collects data from the linked connection of the Wi-Fi Test port.
    NOTE: Selecting this method disables the AirMapper settings for Dwell Time and Override Bands and Channels.

Auto Sampling Period

(Enabled for Auto Sampling mode only.) Tap to choose a preset sampling period or to enter a custom value. This setting controls how frequently an Auto Sampling survey takes automatic measurements between points that you select manually.

Dwell Time

(Enabled for passive survey modes only.) Tap to choose a preset dwell time or enter a custom value. See the General Settings for additional information about dwell time.

Override Bands and Channels

(Enabled for passive survey modes only.) Tap Override Bands and Channels to enable selection of different bands and channels than the values defined in General Settings. (These override settings are used only for AirMapper site surveys.) Enabling this setting displays the Wi-Fi Bands and Channels setting.

Wi-Fi Bands and Channels

(Enabled only when Override Bands and Channels is enabled.) Tap Wi-Fi Bands and Channels to open a list of frequency bands. Then tap the frequency band to open a menu to select specific channels to use for that band. See the General Settings for additional information.

NOTE: Selecting a subset of channels and bands lets you exclude scans of unneeded channels from the survey. This improves survey performance and reduces the amount of data collected.

Changing Settings after Starting

You can reopen the AirMapper settings to change the Floor Plan > Dimensions or Signal Propagation size after starting your survey. Existing data points are retained on the map unless you select a different Floor Plan.

NOTE: NetAlly does not recommend that you change the band, channel, or dwell time settings after you have started a survey. The survey results for the multiple settings can create confusing or less reliable results. If you wish to do so and if the Override Bands and Channels setting is enabled, you can use the AirMapper Settings to make changes after you have started your survey. If the Override Bands and Channels setting is not enabled you must use the General Settings to make changes.

Hidden SSIDs and APs

For any [Hidden] APs or SSIDs at your site that you want detected during a survey, NetAlly recommends creating and enabling a Wi-Fi Profile in the AutoTest app, configured with the appropriate credentials. Otherwise, AirMapper detects the BSSIDs associated with hidden devices but may not determine their APs/SSIDs.