Passive WiFi survey UK
A passive (validation) WiFi site survey is an on-site walkthrough of your building with professional spectrum hardware. We measure the network you actually have - not the one on the original design drawing.
What a passive WiFi survey measures
Using Ekahau Sidekick 2 we walk every required floor and record signal strength (RSSI), signal-to-noise (SNR), channel utilisation, co-channel interference and associated SSIDs. The output is a WiFi heatmap plus a punch-list of dead zones, sticky-client areas and overlapping cells.
This is the survey to book when staff say "WiFi is rubbish in the meeting rooms", scanners drop on aisle 14, or a recent install was done without a design. It is also the right post-install validation after a predictive design has been built.
Active vs passive measurement
Passive scans hear everything on the air. We can also run associated (active) tests against your SSID to capture throughput and roaming behaviour on real client bands. For most UK offices we do both in a single visit.
Typical UK use cases
- Underperforming multi-floor offices
- School and university buildings before a refresh
- Retail floors where POS and guest WiFi collide
- Healthcare wards with medical telemetry on Wi-Fi
Engineers attend nationwide. A standard UK building is often a half-day to a day on site, plus reporting.
Common questions
Do I need to take the network down for a passive survey?
No. Passive surveys run alongside live users. We only need walkthrough access and, for active tests, a test SSID or credentials.
Will you find interference from neighbours?
Yes. Sidekick 2 includes a spectrum analyzer, so we can separate Wi-Fi congestion from non-Wi-Fi interferers such as cameras, motors or poorly shielded equipment.
Is a passive survey the same as a WiFi heatmap survey?
A heatmap is the visual output. A proper passive survey also includes analysis, AP recommendations and remediation steps - not just a coloured floor plan.