Straight answers
Everything people ask us before commissioning a survey — including the questions that lead to us saying you don't need one.
Surveys
What is a Wi-Fi survey?
There is a full plain-English reference here, glossary included. In short: a measurement of how radio behaves in your building, turned into a design. We either model it from your floorplans or measure it in the building itself with survey-grade equipment — usually both on a project of any size. You get coverage plots, access point positions, a channel and power plan, a cabling schedule and a costed kit list. Full explanation here.
Predictive or on-site — which do we need?
If the building exists, on-site measurement beats modelling, because it captures the walls as built, the racking as loaded and the neighbouring networks as they really are. Predictive is right when there's nothing to measure yet or you need a budget figure first. Most real projects use both.
How long does a survey take?
A single-floor office is typically a day on site with the report a few days later. Large distribution centres, multi-building estates and sites with significant outdoor coverage take longer. Racking density and access arrangements matter more than floor area.
Do you need to switch anything off?
No. Surveying is passive measurement — we're listening, not reconfiguring. We do need physical access, including at height and into plant areas.
What do you need from us beforehand?
Floorplans (CAD or a scaled PDF), a rough device count and what those devices do, known problem areas, details of any existing network, and site access arrangements including inductions.
Can we use the report to get competitive quotes?
Yes, and we'd encourage it. The report is a specification any competent installer can price from. It's yours whether or not we do the work.
Do you survey outdoor areas?
Yes — yards, car parks, quaysides, pontoons, campuses and open ground. Outdoor coverage is scoped and priced separately because the design constraints and equipment differ.
Cost and commercials
How much does a Wi-Fi survey cost?
It depends on seven things: floor area and floors, ceiling height and mounting access, racking and stock density, construction, your device fleet, outdoor coverage, and whether you want validation. We've set out how each one moves the number.
Is there a free survey option?
The scoping conversation is free and often settles which survey you need — or that you don't need one yet. What we won't offer is a free 'survey' that is a sales visit with a phone app.
Can you work to a fixed price?
Yes. Once the scope is agreed, the survey is quoted as a fixed price. We don't work on day rates that drift.
Do we have to use you for the installation?
No. The report is written so anyone can build from it. We'd rather win the installation on merit than by holding your specification.
Design and installation
How many access points will we need?
Nobody can answer that responsibly without data. Anyone quoting an access point count from a floor area over the phone is guessing — and the guess is usually low, which is how a quote wins and a project disappoints.
Will you work with our existing equipment?
Usually yes. A significant share of underperforming networks have entirely capable hardware that was never commissioned properly. Where that's the case the fix is engineering time, not capital spend.
Do you install as well as survey?
Yes, and it's the point. Containment, cabling, mounting, commissioning and a validation survey — all in house. More on installation.
Can you work in an occupied building?
Routinely. Live warehouses, schools in term time, hotels with guests in, care homes and working offices. Nights, weekends, shutdown periods and phased working are all normal, with RAMS issued beforehand.
Will you install a design somebody else produced?
Yes. We'll review it first and tell you honestly if we don't think it will achieve what it claims — before installing it rather than after.
Technology
Should we move to Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7?
Maybe, and a survey should decide it rather than a datasheet. The 6 GHz band offers far more spectrum but has noticeably shorter range and much less tolerance of walls, so a 6E design often needs more access points than the 5 GHz design it replaces. Client device support is usually the real constraint. More here.
Which vendor do you recommend?
Whichever the measured requirement points to. We work with Cisco Meraki, Ruckus CommScope, Cambium Networks, Ubiquiti UniFi and more, and we're not obliged to specify any of them. What separates them in practice is licensing model, management overhead, outdoor performance and high-density behaviour.
Why do our handheld scanners struggle when laptops are fine?
Because they need more signal and designed roaming overlap. A network built to a laptop threshold will fail scanners and voice handsets and nothing else. More on roaming.
We added access points and it got worse. Why?
Almost certainly co-channel contention. More radios on overlapping channels at full power means more devices competing for the same airtime. It is the most common self-inflicted Wi-Fi fault there is.
Is guest Wi-Fi safe to run on the same hardware?
Yes, if it's segregated properly — separate VLANs and policy, not just a separate SSID name. Note that guest and business traffic still share airtime on the same radios unless airtime policy says otherwise. More here.
Working with us
Where do you work?
Commercial sites across the UK. Our base is in Hertfordshire and a lot of our work is in London and the South East, but we survey and install nationally.
Do you do home or residential Wi-Fi?
No. Everything we do is commercial.
What accreditations do you hold?
CHAS, Constructionline Gold, SafeContractor, TrustMark and NICEIC, held through The Specialist Electrical Group and available to SEGwifi projects. We do not claim Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001 because we don't hold them.
Do you offer ongoing support?
Yes — monitoring, remote and on-site response, firmware and licence management and an annual RF health check. It's optional. More on managed Wi-Fi.
Do you work for other contractors?
Yes, on a white-label basis for AV, security, IT and building-services firms. More here.
Question not answered here?
Ring and ask. A scoping conversation costs nothing and it is usually more useful than another page of reading.