Remember the old Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First?” routine? Two people use the same words to mean completely different things, and the conversation spirals into hilarious confusion. The joke works because no one ever stops to clarify what the words actually mean.
In wireless design, that kind of confusion isn’t as funny.
We regularly hear from organizations that request a “Site Survey,” schedule one, and only later realize they needed something slightly or significantly different. No one was wrong. Everyone was simply using the same phrase to mean different things. And few terms cause more confusion than Site Survey.
We’ve written before about how Site Survey is a misleading term, but the confusion around the term itself continues to surface in conversations with customers.
So, What Is a Wireless Site Survey?
At its most literal level, a Site Survey simply means going onsite to collect data. That definition applies across industries. In construction, telecom, furniture layout, and beyond, a Site Survey involves visiting a location and gathering information.
In wireless, however, many different services involve going onsite and collecting data. That is where confusion begins. For more than 25 years, when wireless engineers said, “Site Survey,” they were typically referring to what we now call network design for an existing building. Historically, that meant physically bringing access points onsite, testing coverage, and designing accordingly.
Today, modern wireless design is more nuanced. A wireless network design for an existing building usually includes Predictive Modeling, onsite AP-on-a-Stick testing, and a Post-Installation Site Survey after deployment. All of these activities involve collecting data. All could loosely be described as Site Surveys. But calling them all the same thing hides what actually matters: what are you trying to accomplish?
That is how you escape the “Who’s on First?” loop.
Do I Need a Site Survey for a New Wireless Network in an Existing Building?
If you are designing a brand-new WiFi network for an existing building, what you actually need is a Wireless Network Design. Some people still call this a Site Survey, but design is the more accurate term.
Today, wireless design is largely driven by predictive modeling. Engineers build a digital model of your space using tools like Ekahau, incorporating wall types, attenuation values, and building materials to simulate coverage. That model is then validated and refined using onsite AP-on-a-Stick testing.
When Predictive Modeling and onsite testing are combined, the result is a highly informed design model. That model becomes extremely valuable because it allows changes to be made virtually, after deployment, with confidence. If an access point needs to be relocated or coverage expanded, adjustments can often be evaluated within the model rather than through repeated onsite visits.
In certain cases, predictive modeling alone may be used. For example, the building may be small or simple, the location may be remote, or an onsite visit may not be cost-effective. The trade-off is important: without onsite testing, you lose the opportunity to collect detailed installation notes that guide cabling and mounting decisions, which increases the likelihood of post-deployment adjustments.
Notice what we didn’t say: you need a Site Survey. You need a design. That distinction matters.
Can You Perform a Site Survey for a Building That Hasn’t Been Built Yet?
If the building doesn’t exist yet, there is no “site” to survey. This is not a Site Survey. It is a predictive wireless design.
In this scenario, engineers rely entirely on architectural plans. Using those blueprints, they build a predictive model that estimates coverage and informs access point placement before the structure exists. Once the building is complete, onsite testing is performed to validate the predictive model. That onsite testing may sometimes be referred to as an AP-on-a-stick Site Survey, but it is one component of a broader design process.
Calling the entire effort a Site Survey misses the point. It is a staged design process that begins with modeling and ends with validation.
Again, clarity prevents confusion.
If My Wireless Network Isn’t Working Well, Do I Need a Site Survey?
If your network is only a few years old but is underperforming, you likely don’t need a new design. You need a WLAN Coverage Assessment.
A Coverage Assessment collects RF data from your existing network to understand how it is actually performing relative to how it was designed to perform. Sometimes the result is minor tuning. Sometimes it reveals deeper structural issues that justify a redesign. Either way, this is not the same service as a new wireless network design, even though it involves going onsite and collecting data.
Different problem. Different service.
Should WiFi Be Tested After Installation or Changes?
Anytime changes are made to a wireless network, whether during a new deployment or after adjustments to an existing one, coverage testing should follow. Some call this a Validation Survey. At Velaspan, if the changes were recommended by our team, we’d typically refer to it as a Post-Installation Site Survey. Otherwise, we would call it a Coverage Assessment as we aren’t testing against our design.
Call it whatever you like. Just do it. Testing after changes ensures that what was designed is what was delivered.
Back to “Who’s on First?”
The entire Abbott and Costello routine hinges on one thing: no one ever pauses to define the words. If someone had simply clarified what “Who” meant, the confusion would have ended. (But for comedy’s sake, we’re glad it didn’t!)
In wireless, we don’t have the luxury of miscommunication for the sake of entertainment. “Site Survey” means conducting onsite data collection. That definition is accurate, but it is far too general to be useful on its own.
The question isn’t, “Do I need a Site Survey?” The better question is, “What problem are we trying to solve?” Once that is clear, the right set of services becomes clear, too. And the conversation stops sounding like a comedy sketch.
If you’re asking whether you need a “site survey,” you might be asking the wrong question. Let’s start with the problem you’re trying to solve — and design the right solution from there.
