Users Guide

301 | Using VisualRF Dell Networking W-AirWave 8.2.4 | User Guide
Features
l Mesh monitoring page specially for viewing Dell AirMesh devices. VisualRF automatically renders Mesh APs
based on GPS coordinates.
l Floor plan upload wizard enables direct importation of JPG/JPEG, GIF, PNG, PDF (single page only) and CAD
files for floor plans. NOTE: PDF floor plans must be generated from a source file. Other PDFs, such as those
scanned from a printer, will not import properly. Similarly, CAD files must be generated by AutoCAD.
l Batch upload wizard enables batch uploads of multiple CAD files with corresponding walls, and access points.
l Accurate calculation of the location of all client devices (laptops, RFID Tags, PDAs, Phones) using RF data from
your existing APs and controllers. Increased accuracy of device placement can be achieved with periodic site
surveys.
l Graphical navigation allows your Help Desk to view floor plans simply by clicking on the appropriate campus,
building, or floor.
l Tree view allows you to navigate to a specific campus, building, or floor via a tree navigation.
l Heatmaps depict the strength of RF coverage in each location.
l Speed (data rate) view which depicts the highest data speed at every location on a floor plan.
l Display of alerts and error conditions. For instance, an AP icon will display in red when a critical alert is active
or when usage conditions exceed predefined thresholds.
l Location playback viewer which allows visual tracking of up to 24 hours of location history.
l Dynamically recalculated path loss and device locations based on real-time data from your wireless LAN, for
increased location accuracy.
l Calibrated RF data from multiple vendors’ APs (and across different product lines from the same vendor) for
accurate display even in multi-vendor and multi-architecture environments. Refer to the Supported
Infrastructure Devices document for a list of vendors and supported devices.
l Full planning capabilities based on speed or signal requirements.
Useful Terms
l AP-to-AP Signal (Neighbor) - Some APs/Controllers have the ability to report the signal strength of APs that
they hear. W-AirWave uses these signal strength readings to dynamically attenuate floor plans to increase the
accuracy of client locations and heat maps.
l Clients - Clients are end-user devices that access the network through other devices monitored or managed
by W-AirWave.
l Client Health - The client health metric compares the actual airtime the AP spends transmitting data is equal
to the ideal amount of time required to send data to the client. A client health metric of 50% means the AP is
taking twice as long as is ideal, or is sending one extra transmission to that client for every packet. A metric of
25% means the AP is taking four times longer than the ideal transmission time, or sending 3 extra
transmissions to that client for every packet.
l dB (Decibels) - difference/ratio between two signal levels.
l dBm - dB as compared to 1 mW. It is a logarithmic measurement (integer) which is typically used in place of
mW to represent receive-power level. W-AirWave normalizes all signals to dBm, so it is easy to evaluate
performance between various vendors.
l mW - 1/1000 of a Watt. It is a linear measurement (always positive) generally used to represent transmission.
l Rogue Surveys - Rogue surveys are facilitated by AMC, VisualRF and the client's radio to understand which
access points they hear and what signal strength.