Optimal Indoor AP Placement: A Case Study

Abstract: Wireless networks in a room are strongly affected by interferences. To alleviate these effects and enhance the performance of the wireless networks, some optimization was carried out. In this work, an analytical study was introduced to determine the optimal number of access points with their positions on the ground floor at the Architecture Engineering department building - University of Mosul. The implementation has been done using a web-based Wi-Fi and IoT design tool called Hamina Network Planner, and a Wi-Fi Network Planning and Site Survey Software called NetSpot. The experimental results show that the simulation values of the available APs are approximately matched with the real time manual values, achieving the best rates of -22dBm and -31dBm respectively. However, the number of currently available Access Points is not sufficient to cover the building area, so that two scenarios were suggested to overcome this issue. In the first scenario, two access points have been added at different positions in the building depending on the Hamina Network Planner, and in the second one, the transmitted power has been increased. The simulation results demonstrate that the overall coverage rate enhanced and can include most of the building area.