Applying and comparing two measurement approaches for the estimation of indoor WiFi coverage

Radio coverage is a crucial component in any radio network design and deployment. In order to develop a design and deployment tool, we studied and utilized two different measurement approaches suitable for estimating indoor WiFi coverage. One of the tested approaches uses a handheld spectrum analyzer, while the other is a protocol-dependent method using standard Windows API calls. The applicability of these approaches is shown and the pros and cons of both measurement approaches are discussed based on visualization of the examples and comparison of the results. An analysis of the degree of dynamic radio channel effects for the observed differences between the two methods is also presented.