Steps:

1. NOTE: If I ask a question in these directions, or advise you to make note of or record something, then I am expecting to see this later in your admin log or associated files.
2. If you are a smartphone owner, select one of the wireless network analysis mobile applications mentioned above. Otherwise...
   • If you have some other mobile device or a laptop that you can carry around, find an equivalent application for it.
   • If not, then let me know so that we can think of something.
3. Check out some of the supplementary materials and/or some tutorials regarding your chosen application.
4. Start to learn about and practice with your chosen app. Figure out if there are any needs your app does not meet. It is not a requirement that all members of your lab group use the same app; whether you use the same one or different ones is up to you.
5. Inside your it246 directory, create a subdirectory called lab06_site_survey, in which you later save data (images, etc.) that cannot go directly in your admin log.
6. Choose a location on campus for which you would like to perform a wireless site survey.
   • NOT the third floor of the Science Building!
   • Should probably be on a single floor
   • Should have a familiar network: UMB-Student-Secure, eduroam, etc.
   • There should be a number of access points (3 or more) on the site.
   • For an access point, what is the relationship between the base radio MAC address and the associated BSSIDs?
7. Perform a wireless site survey of the site that you chose. You should start with the following tasks...
   • Go to the site, with note-taking tools.
   • Draw a floor plan of the site, including walls and any other significant structural characteristics.
   • Add the locations of any access points. They will usually be located at the top of walls, near the ceiling and look something like this:
     + Show Photos:
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     You may find your app helpful for locating those. What do the numbers on the front the access points indicate? How can you find out? Whether you are able to find out or not, write about this in your admin log.
   • Save your floor plan in an image file or in PDF form, and place it in the lab06_site_survey subdirectory that you created previously.
   You should make sure to do a good job with your initial diagrams/maps, as you may find them helpful for producing subsequent ones.
8. This site survey will differ from the kind described in the textbook, in that you are not determining where to place wireless access points -- but, rather, assessing the current status of the network.
9. There are several wireless networks on campus, so just choose one. That network will likely be available in your site...
   • ...from multiple access points.
   • ...broadcasting on various channels.
   • ...on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands.
   Make note of which access points (including the associated MAC addresses) let you connect to that network...and on which bands/channels. Also, which of the 802.11 wireless standards is the network based upon?
10. Identify which access points in your site do and do not provide access to your chosen network. For each access point that does offer connection -- without worrying yet about specific channels/bands or signal strength levels -- determine the overall coverage area. Where do its boundaries lie? How will you figure this out? Is this area mostly circular, within a well-defined radius? Or is it more irregular? You should be taking notes and diagramming during this process!
11. Produce a coverage map of your site, for that network, relative to the access points.
    • You might look to Figure 4-11 in the textbook, for some initial ideas about how to draw the map.
    • Base this upon your observations/notes from the previous step.
    • How well do the coverage areas overlap, so as to allow for easy roaming?
    • Save this map in an image file or in PDF form, and place it in the lab06_site_survey subdirectory.
    You may find your floor plan from a few steps ago helpful in producing this map.
12. Come up with an idea for a second coverage map for the site.
    • This idea should be based on something you and your partner(s) believe would be interesting and/or useful.
    • It will benefit from technical details such as bands, channels, and signal strengths at different points.
    • Discuss it with me so that we can refine your idea.
    • Then...produce this map -- in such a way that it would make sense to someone who was not there when you performed the site survey.
    • Save this map in an image file or in PDF form, and place it in the lab06_site_survey subdirectory.
    You may find your simpler coverage map, from the previous step, helpful in producing this map.

Upon Completion:

1. What site and network did you choose for the site survey, and why?
2. Which app(s) did you and your partner(s) use for this lab, and which features of the app(s) did you use the most?
3. How did the process of performing the site survey go? How long did it take to complete the process?
4. Which steps of the process were easiest to carry out, and why?
5. Which steps of the process were hardest to carry out, and why?
6. Briefly explain your floor plan and coverage maps, with reference to the particular files (in your lab06_site_survey subdirectory) containing them.
7. What did you learn that would be most useful to a user of the wireless network?
8. What did you learn that would be most useful to an administrator of the wireless network?
9. What are some of the main questions that you have about the material in this lab, moving forward?