A remote predictive Wi-Fi design starts with a description of the building and the work the network must support. Better inputs make the assumptions easier to defend and the installation easier to discuss. You do not need to arrive with every answer. You do need to distinguish what is known, what is estimated, and what still needs a measurement.
Before sending project files, start with a general overview and agree on a suitable transfer method. Then use this checklist to assemble a useful design brief.
1. Describe the decision you need to make
Is this a new building, an equipment refresh, a tenant fit-out, or an expansion? State the site location, approximate area, number of floors, intended opening or installation window, and who will approve the design. Explain whether equipment selection is open or already committed.
Separate business requirements from proposed solutions. “Reliable scanning throughout the picking routes” describes an outcome. “Put an AP in every aisle” is a design proposal that needs testing. Include priorities, budget constraints, and any procurement deadline without treating a target date as an agreed delivery commitment.
2. Provide readable plans with a trustworthy scale
Prepare the latest available floor plans, identified by building, floor, revision, and date. A clean PDF or suitable CAD export is generally more useful than a photograph of a drawing. Confirm the preferred format during scoping rather than converting an entire drawing package first.
Mark at least one known dimension with units and clear endpoints, preferably along a substantial, unobstructed feature. Include a second dimension as a cross-check where practical. A printed scale label may no longer be reliable after a drawing has been resized. For multiple floors, identify common reference points and floor-to-floor heights.
Accurate scale, obstructions, and the modeled AP all affect prediction accuracy, as explained in HPE Aruba’s Ekahau planning walkthrough. The floor plan is an engineering input, not background decoration.
3. Mark coverage areas and construction uncertainties
Show where service is required, where it is optional, and what is outside scope. Include connecting corridors, stairs, loading areas, and outdoor transitions when they matter to the operation. A room list alone can miss the route between two important rooms.
Identify wall and floor construction where known, ceiling and proposed mounting heights, glazing, metal partitions, racks, and major obstructions. Note whether drawings represent current conditions or proposed construction. Useful photographs should be approved for sharing and tied to locations on the plan.
Do not turn an uncertain material description into a confident attenuation value. Record “construction unconfirmed” and identify who can check it. HPE’s planning guidance describes using measured predeployment information for custom wall and obstruction modeling. A tidy drawing cannot certify what is inside a wall.
4. Describe devices, applications, and busy periods
List representative client makes and models, their supported bands, and the applications they must run. Include specialist devices as well as laptops and phones. Record approximate simultaneous device counts by area and busy period, rather than only the total number of employees.
Identify mobility requirements: where devices move, whether sessions must continue during movement, and which application interruptions are unacceptable. Provide vendor application or device requirements when available. Avoid adopting a universal signal-strength target simply because it appeared in another project.
Cisco’s survey guidance explicitly calls for application needs, client types, signal and signal-to-noise requirements, delay and jitter tolerance, and client transmit power. Missing details can become discovery questions; they should not quietly become defaults.
5. Identify AP, antenna, and installation constraints
If equipment is selected, provide exact AP and external antenna part numbers, proposed mounting arrangements, and any relevant enclosure or bracket restrictions. Identify existing equipment that must remain. If selection is open, describe purchasing constraints rather than guessing a model.
Mark permitted mounting zones, inaccessible ceilings, aesthetic requirements, and areas where cable or equipment installation is restricted. External antennas need an intended direction and orientation, not merely a symbol beside an AP. Cisco’s RF design service description includes antenna specifications, placement, infrastructure, and installation limitations among design inputs.
6. Include the wired dependencies and existing evidence
Summarize available switch locations, planned cable routes, port availability, uplinks, and switch power budgets. Provide relevant model information where known. Flag constraints requiring the cabling contractor or network team to confirm feasibility. An attractive AP position is less useful when nobody can power or reach it.
For an existing WLAN, identify available survey files, previous designs, and dated configuration summaries. Explain when measurements were collected and whether the layout or equipment has changed since then. Send only the information agreed for the work; credentials and unrestricted configuration dumps do not belong in an initial inquiry.
7. Agree how the assumptions will be checked
A prediction estimates RF behavior from its inputs. It does not measure current interference, prove application performance, or establish how a particular client will roam. Cisco distinguishes predictive work from field measurements and describes post-install validation against the design requirements.
Agree which uncertainties justify targeted AP-on-a-stick testing and how the installed network will be checked. At Leet Solutions, active and roaming tests require a separately agreed scope. Hardware, cabling, and installation are also separate unless included in the written scope. These boundaries belong in the proposal, not in a surprise conversation after deployment.
Start with the overview, then share the evidence
Keep the initial inquiry simple: project type, general location, approximate size, intended use, timing, and what documentation exists. Share only material you are authorized to disclose, through the agreed channel. Identify restricted information before transferring it.
Discuss a remote predictive design with Leet Solutions. We can scope the work around the available inputs and the questions that still need answers. For the service outline, see predictive Wi-Fi design.