What features are desirable in an AP used to perform WLAN site surveys?

• A. Fixed output power without external antenna connectors.
• B. External antenna connectors only.
• C. Variable output power and external antenna connectors.
• D. Built-in battery and USB port.

Answer: (C)

For WLAN site surveys, you want to reproduce how the network will behave in the real environment. Being able to vary transmit power lets you see how signal strength, coverage, and achievable data rates change as you move away from or closer to the AP, and it helps prevent measurement saturation while you build realistic heatmaps across different conditions. External antenna connectors matter because they let you attach antennas with different gains and patterns. By swapping in external antennas you can simulate deployment scenarios—using high-gain directional antennas for long corridors or open spaces, or omnidirectional antennas for typical room coverage—and study how the environment affects the signal, including interference, reflections, and dead zones. These features together give you the flexibility to model real-world performance more accurately. While a built-in battery and USB port enhance portability, they don’t fundamentally change the measurement capabilities needed for surveying.