Sitesurvey
Fortinet sitesurvey is a simple tool that aids in network planning to find the right placement (mounting location) of APs such that clients connected to these APs receive high throughput, excellent coverage. To find the right placement of your AP, connect your Wi-Fi client to the AP that is in the sitesurvey mode and move around the deployment perimeter to identify areas that provide good connectivity (based on the results from the sitesurvey tool) to the Wi-Fi client. You can adjust the placement of the AP depending on the sitesurvey results.
Pre-requisites
- Sitesurvey is supported only on AP832, AP822, FAP-U421, and FAP-U423.
- The AP must be running FortiWLC (SD) 6.1-2 or higher and can connect only in Open Clear mode.
Configuring Sitesurvey Options
Sitesurvey configuration and monitor options are available via CLI (AP boot console) and GUI. To access sitesurvey options, Connect to AP CLI from a controller or use a serial port.
Using the CLI
After the normal AP boot process, enter the sitesurvey enable command at the AP boot prompt to restart AP into the sitesurvey mode. In the sitesurvey mode the AP displays the sitesurvey prompt (ss >).
Sitesurvey commands always begin with the sitesurvey keyword or alternatively you can use the ss (alias) instead of the sitesurvey keyword. Sitesurvey provides the following additional commands to configure and monitor sitesurvey features.
Enabling Sitesurvey
sitesurvey enable
This command enables the sitesurvey mode. The AP will reboot into sitesurvey mode and display the sitesurvey prompt. ss > _
Disabling Sitesurvey
sitesurvey disable
This command disables the sitesurvey mode. AP will reboot into normal mode of operation.
Setting Country Code and Channel
sitesurvey countrycode set <country code>
By default the country code is set to US. When you set a country code, the first valid channel and the max supported Tx power for radio 0 and radio 1 for that country code is automatically set. To override the default channel for a country code, enter the following command sitesurvey channel set <radio_index> <channel>
Where,
- radio_index refers to the AP radios.
- Enter 1 for radio 1 (2.4 Ghz).
- Enter 2 for radio 2 (5Ghz).
To get the list of supported country codes, use the ss countrycode help command.
Setting Inactivity Time
sitesurvey inactivitytime <itime>
This command sets the time (in seconds) the AP will remain in the sitesurvey mode before a client associates with it. The time is specified in seconds and by default the AP will remain in the sitesurvey mode for 3600s. After the period of inactivity, the AP will reboot into normal AP mode.
When using the GUI, the browser window will reset after 3600 seconds of inactivity, irrespective of the time set for inactivity. The browser refresh time cannot be changed.
Setting IP Address
sitesurvey ipconfig <ip_address> <netmask>
This command configures the sitesurvey AP with an IP address. You can use this IP address to access the sitesurvey GUI page via a browser. By default, the IP address and netmask are set to 192.168.0.1 and 255.255.255.0.
Configuring SSID
sitesurvey ssid <radio_index> [<ssid>]
Where,
- radio_index can be 0, 1, or 3
- Enter 0 for radio 1 (2.4 Ghz)
- Enter 1 for radio 2 (5 Ghz)
- Enter 3 to specify SSID for both the radios
This command configures SSID for the specified radio. By default, SSID for radio 1 (2.4Ghz) is set to Meru_Site_Survey_2.4 and SSID for radio 2 (5 Ghz) is set to Meru_Site_Survey_5.
Examples ss > sitesurvey ssid 3
MERU_SITE_SURVEY SSID is assigned for both radio1 and radio2 as MERU_SITE_SURVEY
ss > sitesurvey ssid 1 <‐‐ if SSID is not specified SSID is assigned to radio1 as MERU_SITE_SURVEY_2.4 by default
ss > sitesurvey ssid 2 <‐‐ if SSID is not specified SSID is assigned to radio2 as MERU_SITE_SURVEY_5 by default
ss > sitesurvey ssid 3 <‐‐ if SSID is not specified MERU_SITE_SURVEY_2.4 is assigned as SSID for radio1
MERU_SITE_SURVEY_5 is assigned as SSID for radio2.
After configuring SSID on AP radios, you can use the following command to selectively (per radio) enable or disable broadcasting SSID. sitesurvey publishssid <radio_index> [on|off] By default, SSID for both radios are broadcast.
Enable or Disable Radio
sitesurvey {radio | r} <radio_index> [on|off]
Where,
- radio_index can be 0, 1, or 3
- Enter 0 for radio 1 (2.4 Ghz)
- Enter 1 for radio 2 (5 Ghz)
- Enter 3 for both the radios
This command enables or disables AP radio. Wi-fi clients connecting to the sitesurvey AP must use the same radio that is enabled in the AP. By default, both the radios are enabled.
Configure Sitesurvey Refresh Rate
sitesurvey statsrefrate [<rate>]
This command configures the time interval (specified in milliseconds) at which the AP will collect and send (display) sitesurvey results. By default, the refresh rate is set to 1000ms. The sitesurvey results can be viewed from the sitesurvey GUI page or the CLI.
Setting the Tx Power
sitesurvey txpwr set <radio_index> [<tx_power>]
Where,
- radio_index can be 0, 1, or 3
- Enter 0 for radio 1 (2.4 Ghz)
- Enter 1 for radio 2 (5 Ghz)
- Enter 3 for both the radios
Use this command to selectively set the transmit power for AP radios. By default, Tx power is set to maximum possible Tx power based on the country code, channel and the hardware capabilities. The sitesurvey txpwr set 3 command (without the power value) will set the max Tx power supported for the selected country to both the radios.
Save Sitesurvey Configuration
sitesurvey save
After you have configured all sitesurvey options, enter this command to save your sitesurvey configuration. This command creates an ESSID with all configured parameters. Your Wi-Fi can now associate to this AP using the ESSID.
Using GUI
To access the sitesurvey GUI page, enter the IP address of the AP. If not previously set, enter the default IP address (192.168.0.1) of the AP. By default, the GUI page shows the sitesurveyresults page. Click the Configure button to access the sitesurvey configuration options.
Figure 67: Sitesurvey Configuration Options:
TABLE 24: Sitesurvey Configuration Parameters using GUI
| Parameters | Description |
| SSID Radio 0
SSID Radio 1 |
Enter a value that you will be broadcast for connecting your Wi-Fi client. The default values are Meru_Site_Survey_2.4 for Radio 0 and Meru_Site_Survey_5 for Radio 1. |
| Country | Select a country from this list. This selection automatically sets the first valid channel for each radio. However, you can choose to override them by selecting a different channel number. |
| Radio 2.4 Ghz
Radio 5 Ghz |
Select ON or OFF to enable or disable a radio. |
| Tx Power Radio 0
Tx Power Radio 1 |
Enter transmit power for each of the radios. Maximum value for Radio 0 (2.4 Ghz) and maximum value for Radio 1 (5 Ghz) is dependent on the selected country and the channel. |
| 2.4 Ghz Channels
5 Ghz Channels |
Select a valid channel. By default this is automatically set to the first valid channel for the selected country. |
| Publish SSID Radio 0
Publish SSID Radio 1 |
Select ON or OFF to broadcast SSID. |
TABLE 24: Sitesurvey Configuration Parameters using GUI
| Parameters | Description |
| Stats Refresh Rate | Enter the time interval (in milliseconds) to collect and send (display) sitesurvey results. |
| Inactivity timeout period | Enter the time interval (in seconds) for the AP to wait for client to connect. After the inactivity time period, the AP will reboot to normal AP mode. |
After configuring the above parameters click the Apply button to save the configuration.
Viewing Sitesurvey Results
Sitesurvey results can be viewed from CLI and using the GUI.
Using GUI
By default, the Sitesurvey page (Figure 2) is displayed when you connect to the AP via browser. The Sitesurvey page among other pre-configured values displays key information about the connectivity experience of your Wi-Fi client.
The GUI page shows Sitesurvey results of only ONE client (the last connected client) connected to the AP. To view Sitesurvey results from all connected clients, use options from CLI.
Figure 68: Viewing Sitesurvey Results
Connectivity Experience Parameters
The Sitesurvey parameters that include RSSI, S/N Ratio, Tx Power, 802.11 Tx Rate, and
802.11 Rx Rate illustrate the connection experience of the Wi-Fi client at the given location.
Troubleshooting Parameters
The parameters, Tx Retry count and Tx Failure illustrate issues or errors in connection between the Wi-Fi client and the AP at the given location.
Network Parameters
Tx Packets and Rx Packets indicate the network data traffic between the AP and the Wi-Fi client.
NOTE : As you move with your Wi-Fi client, the survey results are updated as per configured refresh rate.
Disable Site Survey
To disable Sitesurvey on the AP, click the Disable Sitesurvey button. This button will reboot the AP into normal AP mode.
Using CLI
Viewing Sitesurvey Configuration
sitesurvey showconfig
This command displays the current sitesurvey configuration.
Sample Output ss > sitesurvey showconfig
Site Survey : 1
Country Code : US
AP IP address : 192.168.0.1
AP Netmask : 255.255.255.0
SSID for radio0 : MERU_SITE_SURVEY_2.4
SSID for radio1 : MERU_SITE_SURVEY_5
Broadcast SSID for radio0 : 1
Broadcast SSID for radio1 : 1 radio0 <2.4G> : 1 radio1 <5G> : 1 Channel for radio0 : 6
Channel for radio1 : 36
Tx Power for radio0 : 25
Tx Power for radio1 : 23
Basic Tx Rate for radio0 : 1 2 5.5 11
Basic Tx Rate for radio1 : 1 2 5.5 11
Stats Refresh Rate : 1000
Inactivity Timeout : 3600 ss >
Viewing Sitesurvey Results (Statistics)
sitesurvey showstatistics
This command displays sitesurvey results of all the Wi-Fi clients connected to the AP.
Sample Output
ss > sitesurvey showstatistics ss >
AP MAC STATION MAC ESSID Ch ChWd SNR RSSI TxPwr TxRate RxRate TxRetry TxFail TxPkts RxPkts
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
00:0c:e6:12:28:1f 6c:88:14:f3:a8:04 survey51 36 20 42 ‐45 23 144 130 0 1 65 68 ss stats ss >
AP MAC STATION MAC ESSID Ch ChWd SNR RSSI TxPwr TxRate RxRate TxRetry TxFail TxPkts RxPkts
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
00:0c:e6:12:28:1f 6c:88:14:f3:a8:04 survey51 36 20 42 ‐45 23 144 130 0 1 66 68 ss stats ss >
AP MAC STATION MAC ESSID Ch ChWd SNR RSSI TxPwr TxRate RxRate TxRetry TxFail TxPkts RxPkts
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
00:0c:e6:12:28:1f 6c:88:14:f3:a8:04 survey51 36 20 42 ‐45 23 144 123 0 1 68 68 ss stats ss >
AP MAC STATION MAC ESSID Ch ChWd SNR
RSSI TxPwr TxRate RxRate TxRetry TxFail TxPkts RxPkts
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐ ‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
00:0c:e6:12:28:1f 6c:88:14:f3:a8:04 survey51 36 20 42 ‐45 23 144 104 0 1 69 691 ss >