Before visiting a facility for a WLAN site survey, what is the most basic question you should ask the customer?

• A. What kind of facility is it?
• B. When will the survey occur?
• C. What is the building address?
• D. What is the preferred brand of access points?

Answer: (A)

The most fundamental factor is understanding what kind of facility you will be surveying. The facility type sets the context for every design decision in a WLAN site survey. Different buildings have very different RF environments: construction materials (concrete, metal, glass), ceiling heights, room layouts, and occupancy patterns all influence how signals propagate and where you should place access points. For example, a multi-story hospital with many dense spaces has distinct coverage and security requirements compared to an open-plan office or a warehouse. Knowing the facility type helps you anticipate interference sources, determine the number and placement of APs, set realistic coverage and capacity targets, and plan Maverick measurements like signal strength, interference, and roaming behavior accordingly.

It also helps you gauge user needs and use cases, such as which areas must be covered reliably, what kinds of devices will be used, and how many concurrent users you expect in peak times. This context guides the survey scope, measurement plan, and success criteria, ensuring the results produce a usable, efficient wireless network tailored to the environment.

Timing, address details, and vendor preferences matter too, but they are logistical or implementation choices rather than the information that shapes the network design from the ground up. Knowing the facility type first informs what areas to survey, what environmental factors to measure, and what performance targets to set.