Brian Webster Consulting - Wireless Network Design and coverage maps

Our company provides wireless network design and RF engineering services to show the predicted range of wireless systems and the demographics for those areas. If you are in the process of building a WIMAX system, municipal data network, WISP, 700 MHz, 3.6 GHz, EBS Licensed Area, or other fixed wireless network system, contact us before you construct your sites. We help Wireless Network Operators design their system to see where a site will broadcast. This answers the question "How far will the wireless signal reach, and how many people will it cover?"
A single site coverage map can be purchased for as little as $199.00 or you may contract services on an hourly basis for larger projects.

We have developed a method to create Google Earth™ compatible files to show your transmitter coverage area which then functions as a customer prequalification tool. This allows you to interactively see where your signal works and where it does not. In the Google Earth™ search tool you can look up a specific street address and have it zoom to that location. With your transmitter coverage area map already loaded, you can clearly see if you can serve this location. This system works so fast you can tell a potential customer if they are served while they are still on the phone! It allows you to close sales with the first call. Existing WISP's who use this system claim immediate benefits. They are able to schedule installations without doing a site survey and have reduced their "no-go" install rates significantly.

"It’s been a huge asset to our organization. Every prospect is now run though Google earth and pre-qualified. The number of truck rolls to customers outside our coverage areas are almost nonexistent now. Our install crews are now installing 4 or five, each, a day. Previously they were getting 50% no go’s. We still are challenged with trees but at least we can, with confidence, tell the customer to build a tower that reaches above the tree line and we would be able to get them service at a later date. They are very happy with that level of professionalism. We’re going to hit 200 installs this month which is a 100% increase over last.

Our install field crews either have cellular phone Internet (1X) technology or they call into the office with their current GPS location and ask for tower direction advice. From there they are better equipped with the knowledge to select the best tower location for each customer by turning on an off the overlays of the surrounding towers. I’ve also created an overlay with each tower’s technology type so the installers can select the correct Motorola equipment that is being sent in their direction. Previously they didn’t know if tower A had 2.4, 5.7, 5.2 or 900Mhz technology. It was a complete waste of time and effort figuring that out. Now they are in and out in under two hours per install.

We do a lot of tradeshows lately and we bring our projector and a laptop. It’s an attention grabber for customers to see us zooming in and out of the areas while talking with other potential customers about their homes in our coverage area. They line up at the booth and ask many questions about our services. They walk away as a customer or with information to give to their friends or families living in our coverage path.

So yes, very happy with your map integration into Google earth! Please don’t increase your pricing <grin>."

Trevor Perraton - Platinum Communications Corp. - Calgary, AB

"We spent the money and have seen a huge improvement in take rate. We went from a average of 1.5 installs per day to 4.5 installs per day. Now please understand we also went from 4 tower sites to 16, but we also deployed the new tower sites in areas that already had High-speed via DSL, Cable, Wireless or all of the above. We found that by targeting our marketing dollars towards people we were 95% sure we could serve, and then also being able to prequalify wireless customers via the Google earth map when they called in and schedule them on the spot, with the first call our no call back rate went to almost 0.

Was it expensive, depends on how you value business growth. Has it paid off, yes."

Mike Bushard - Wisper Wirelss - MN

     Detailed maps can be produced that show which residential and business customers are reached by your network with full contact data. The information can be used in a direct marketing plan or for an evaluation of a wireless network worth. The lists can be further enhanced by adding information such as the serving tower location and the predicted signal level. Network operators use this data to plan system capacity. They can see the number of potential customers, and based on their market penetration forecasts, they size the network and backhaul capacities accordingly. All of this information is created in an easy to understand format and placed in the hands of decision makers.

     Other mapping and GIS services include: demographic reports with details down to the census block level and mapping of existing customer databases to show concentrations of locations you can ACTUALLY SERVE with wireless signal. The wireless coverage predictions can be exported to any GIS compatible mapping format.

     With a competitive market analysis, the most profitable areas to serve with wireless can be identified. Reports show the existing DSL and Cable territories along with housing densities. Proper market research will identify locations with sufficient customer density to support a wireless system and the broadband competition in that same area.

     These are just a few of the capabilities we have with our database programs and reporting systems. Please call if you have a unique situation that requires a custom solution or a complex problem that needs solving. To view a presentation of GIS services with examples please click here.

The images below show examples of wireless network coverage maps.
Click on the image for a full size view.

Line of sight coverage overlaid on a topographic map.	Sample Microwave point to point path profile.	Line of sight coverage over an aerial image.
Wireless Network Coverage on a Topographic Map.	Single Wireless Site Coverage with Signal Strength Scale.	Line of Sight Area on Street Map with Range Rings.
3D terrain rendering with aerial image and street data.	Terrain detail 3D model with color aerial image.	Land Cover Type Data Map
Map of Census Blocks colored by household counts.	Map showing circulation area of a newspaper.	Map of AM radio station coverage areas in a market.
Sample multiple site wireless network with Street map.	Sample single wireless site overlaid on street map. Ideal for publishing needs.	Terrain detail that shows a bridge over the river.

When deploying any wireless network design in a metropolitan or municipal market, the biggest challenge is being able to conduct a study with the existing buildings shown as part of the equation. With the proper high resolution data (available from various sources at additional costs) we can predict your wireless network coverage and show the effects of the buildings and how they might block your signals. This same data can also be used to conduct rooftop point to point studies for microwave backhauls or free space optics (FSO) systems. Below are examples of 1 meter building data rendered in 3D. Click on the thumbnails for a full view.

Examples of 1 meter terrain and building data - These are 3D simulations of the data, not actual photos of the city. High resolution color aerial imagery was stretched over the digital building data.

With Microwave Design Services we can help you determine if wireless backhaul or point to point links can eliminate costly leased lines. RF Path studies, line of site surveys, and equipment planning services are available. Let us show you how to cut costs and increase reliability and speed between your geographically separated locations. These radio or microwave links can replace voice, data, T1, POTS, and alarm circuits you may be leasing from the telephone company. Many case studies have shown these systems will pay for themselves within 12 months.

Maps can be generated in various ways. Wireless transmitter signal coverage can be overlaid on terrain data, topographic maps, aerial photography and street level maps and Google Earth. Point to point and visual or line of sight propagation may also be shown. These make good line of site assessments and can tell you rough coverage of a site. The visual propagation studies are useful in zoning applications where you need to show the visual impact area as part of your zoning process.

For a summary of our services download this PowerPoint presentation:
Summary of services this is a 3.4 mb file. Click on the link to view it or right click and "save target as" for a file download.

Hyperlink Another equipment provider of wireless networking equipment for outdoor use that is FCC Part 15 type approved.

Alvarion Another manufacturer of outdoor rated equipment in the unlicensed spectrum. These systems are in use by many Wireless Internet Service Providers.

Airspan This equipment vendor offers both licensed and unlicensed systems, they have the ability to offer voice and data on their network equipment.

Tri-County Communications - Motorola Service Center and Canopy equipment provider, great source for on-site paging CCTV and SCADA equipment. They also have an equipment repair facility.

Tessco Great supplier of antennas, cable, feed line, brackets and pre-made cable assemblies. They ship overnight!

WISP Consultants Information site designed as a central point to locate information about people and vendors.

Wi-Fi Alliance, source of technical information on wireless networking and standards.

ICS Telecom RF prediction tool from ATDI. Excellent tool for mesh network planning.

Netstumbler Software Software that allows you to survey wireless networks and their coverage. We can map your results for you!

Yellow Jacket Handheld testing devices for on air testing, interference location and investigations.

Ask-Wi.com Jack Unger has been providing wireless training design and support to the WISP Industry since 1993

Towermaps.com This Company specializes in maintaining a database of available wireless communications sites. This includes rooftops and small towers as well as all the properties of the big companies. A nice place for one stop shopping for potential locations. They have over 200,000 sites listed in their data files.

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Wireless Network Design and RF Engineering Services

Wireless Network Design
and RF Engineering Services