Velocity Cabling provides professional wireless site surveys and Wi-Fi network design for commercial offices, warehouses, healthcare facilities, and multi-floor buildings across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. A properly engineered wireless network starts with a survey — without one, AP placement is guesswork that results in dead zones, co-channel interference, and networks that cannot support the density of modern devices. We use Ekahau Pro for predictive design and passive survey analysis, and deliver full heatmap documentation with every project.
Types of Wireless Site Surveys We Perform
There are three distinct survey methodologies, each serving a different purpose in the wireless network lifecycle. We offer all three and advise on the correct approach based on whether you are designing a new network, auditing an existing one, or troubleshooting a performance issue.
Predictive RF Survey
A virtual simulation of RF propagation built in Ekahau Pro using your floor plans, building materials, and target device mix. Used for new construction, office fit-outs, and pre-deployment planning to determine AP count, placement, and channel plan before a single cable is run.
Passive Survey
A walk-through of your facility with a Wi-Fi adapter in passive listening mode, collecting real-world RSSI, SNR, channel utilization, and interference data from all visible networks. Used to audit existing coverage, identify dead zones, and diagnose co-channel or adjacent-channel interference without disrupting live network traffic.
Active Survey
A connected survey that associates to your live SSID and measures actual throughput, data rates, packet loss, roaming behavior, and application-layer latency while walking the facility. Used for post-installation validation, roaming troubleshooting, and performance benchmarking to verify the network meets its design targets.
Fault-Finding Survey
A targeted investigation of a specific wireless problem — dead zones, intermittent disconnections, roaming failures, or throughput degradation. We identify root causes including misplaced APs, incorrect channel plans, power settings, rogue devices, and physical obstructions, and deliver a documented remediation plan.
What We Measure — Key RF Parameters
A professional wireless survey produces quantified, documented RF data — not a subjective walkthrough. Every survey we deliver includes measured values for the following parameters, mapped spatially to your floor plan as Ekahau heatmaps.
Received signal strength at every measured location. Target ≥−65 dBm for voice and video applications; ≥−70 dBm for data. Mapped as a coverage heatmap across the entire floor plan.
Signal-to-noise ratio — the margin between your AP signal and the ambient RF noise floor. Target ≥25 dB for reliable operation; ≥30 dB for voice and latency-sensitive applications.
Co-channel and adjacent-channel interference from overlapping APs on the same or adjacent channels. A primary cause of poor wireless performance in multi-AP environments — identified and quantified in every passive survey.
Number of visible access points at each location. High AP counts with poor signal hierarchy cause association and roaming problems — documented as part of coverage overlap analysis.
Physical layer data rate achieved by the client at each survey point. Directly correlates with AP placement quality. Low PHY rates (e.g., 6–24 Mbps) indicate cells that are too large or coverage that is too marginal.
Active surveys capture roaming events — when the client transitions between APs — documenting transition time, packet loss during handoff, and whether 802.11r/k/v assisted roaming is functioning correctly.
Environments We Survey & Design For
RF propagation behaves differently in every building type. Concrete, steel, glass, drywall, and warehouse racking all attenuate and reflect Wi-Fi signals in different ways. We have surveyed and designed wireless networks across all of the following commercial environments in the GTA:
Commercial Offices
Open-plan and cellular office environments with high device density. We design for roaming across floors, conference room coverage, and support for voice-over-Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) applications requiring ≤50ms latency.
Warehouses & Distribution
High-ceiling warehouses with steel racking present significant RF challenges. We design for barcode scanner and forklift terminal coverage at floor level, accounting for racking shadows and metal reflections.
Healthcare Facilities
Clinics, medical offices, and long-term care facilities requiring robust coverage for mobile devices, wireless nurse call integration, and patient tracking systems. Concrete and lead-lined walls require careful predictive modelling.
Multi-Floor Office Buildings
Multi-tenancy and multi-floor commercial buildings where floor penetration, elevator coverage, and stairwell dead zones must be addressed. We design per-floor channel plans that minimize vertical co-channel interference between floors.
Retail & Hospitality
Retail environments with high client density and POS system wireless dependencies. We design segmented networks (corporate/POS/guest) with appropriate SSID density and band steering to manage device load.
Manufacturing & Industrial
Manufacturing floors with heavy metal equipment, RF-reflective surfaces, and industrial noise sources (motors, conveyors, welding). We design for reliable coverage of mobile terminals, tablets, and IoT sensors in harsh RF environments.
Wi-Fi Standards We Design & Deploy
We design and deploy wireless networks across all current 802.11 standards. Choosing the right standard depends on your device mix, density requirements, and whether latency-sensitive applications like voice or real-time video are in scope.
Wi-Fi 6E — 802.11ax (6GHz)
Wi-Fi 6E extends Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz band, providing up to 1,200MHz of clean, uncluttered spectrum unavailable to legacy devices. Recommended for high-density environments (open-plan offices, conference facilities), latency-sensitive applications (VoWiFi, video conferencing), and any deployment where the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are congested. Requires Wi-Fi 6E capable client devices to benefit from the 6GHz band. We design 6GHz channel plans and specify compatible access points from Cisco, Aruba, Ubiquiti, and Meraki.
Wi-Fi 6 — 802.11ax (2.4GHz / 5GHz)
Wi-Fi 6 is the current commercial standard for most new deployments. It introduces OFDMA for simultaneous multi-user scheduling, BSS Coloring to reduce co-channel interference, and Target Wake Time (TWT) to extend IoT device battery life. Wi-Fi 6 is the correct choice for general office deployments, warehouse environments, and any project where the client device mix includes a significant proportion of non-6E devices. Backwards compatible with all 802.11a/b/g/n/ac devices.
Wi-Fi 5 — 802.11ac (5GHz) & Legacy Environments
We also support existing 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 environments for audits, fault-finding surveys, and capacity upgrades. If your current infrastructure is underperforming, a passive survey can identify whether the issue is AP placement, channel configuration, client density, or hardware limitations — before committing to a full replacement.
Survey Deliverables — What You Receive
Every wireless site survey engagement produces a documented deliverable package. You receive more than a verbal recommendation — you receive the engineering data that justifies AP placement decisions and serves as the baseline for future network changes.
Ekahau Pro RSSI, SNR, and channel utilization heatmaps overlaid on your floor plans. Spatial visualization of coverage quality across every measured location.
Recommended AP placement map showing exact mounting locations, mounting height, and antenna orientation for each access point in the design.
Channel assignment plan for all APs across 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. Designed to minimize co-channel and adjacent-channel interference across the deployment.
Access point model recommendation based on your building type, device density, required feature set (Wi-Fi 6, 6E, PoE budget), and preferred vendor (Cisco, Aruba, Ubiquiti, Meraki).
Bill of materials including AP count, Cat6A cabling drops required per AP, PoE switch port requirements, and optional installation quote if you want us to complete the deployment.
Post-installation validation survey report confirming that the deployed network meets the coverage and performance targets defined in the design phase. Included with full-service engagements.
Our Wireless Survey & Deployment Process
Free Consultation
We discuss your facility, current wireless pain points, device types, application requirements, and whether you need a survey only or a full survey-plus-deployment engagement. We confirm the correct survey methodology (predictive, passive, active, or fault-finding) for your situation.
Floor Plan & Site Preparation
We collect floor plans (CAD or PDF) and import them into Ekahau Pro at correct scale. For predictive surveys, we identify wall and floor materials and attenuation values. For passive or active surveys, we schedule an onsite walk during normal operating hours when the facility is occupied and RF environment is representative.
Survey or Predictive Design
Predictive: We model the RF environment in Ekahau Pro, place virtual APs, and iterate the design to achieve target RSSI, SNR, and redundancy metrics across the entire floor plan. Passive/Active: We walk every area of the facility with calibrated survey hardware, collecting data at defined grid intervals.
Analysis & Report Generation
RF data is processed in Ekahau Pro. Heatmaps are generated for RSSI, SNR, channel utilization, and AP coverage overlap. Channel and power plans are optimized. AP placement recommendations are finalized. The complete deliverable package is assembled.
AP Installation & Cabling (Optional)
For full-service engagements, we install Cat6A cabling to every AP location (PoE++ capable), mount and configure access points, configure SSIDs, security profiles, and roaming parameters. We coordinate with your IT team or MSP on controller and VLAN configuration.
Post-Installation Validation
A post-deployment active survey confirms that the installed network meets all coverage and performance design targets. Any gaps identified are remediated before project close. You receive the final as-built documentation package including validation heatmaps.
Why Choose Velocity Cabling for Wireless Site Surveys
Ekahau Pro — documented RF data, not opinions
We use Ekahau Pro for every survey and predictive design engagement. You receive actual heatmaps with measured RSSI, SNR, and channel data — not a contractor walking around with a phone. The documentation is yours to keep and share with your IT team, MSP, or auditor.
Survey and cabling from one contractor
We survey, design, cable, and install. You don’t need a separate cabling contractor to run Cat6A to your AP locations after a survey firm tells you where the APs go. We handle the complete wireless infrastructure project end-to-end, with a single point of accountability.
Vendor-neutral access point recommendations
We are not tied to a single AP vendor. We recommend Cisco, Aruba, Ubiquiti, Meraki, or Ruckus access points based on what is genuinely right for your environment, density, and budget — not what earns us the highest margin.
Post-installation validation included
We validate what we design. Every full-service wireless deployment includes a post-installation active survey to confirm coverage and performance targets are met. If the validation identifies any gaps, we address them before closing the project.
Commercial-only — occupied buildings & working environments
All of our wireless survey and deployment work is in commercial environments. We work in occupied buildings during business hours where required, coordinate access with property management, and complete AP installations with minimal disruption to network-dependent operations.