  Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), known as Wi-Fi, have become an
essential service in university environments that helps staff, students and
guests to access connectivity to the Internet from their mobile devices. Apart
from the Internet being a learning resource, students also submit their
assignments online using web portals. Most campuses will have poor coverage
areas for mobile networks and, as a result, the ability of the wireless network
to supplement Internet access for mobile devices in these areas becomes more
important. Acquiring clear understanding of WLAN traffic patterns, network
handover between access points and inter-network handover between the Wi-Fi and
mobile networks, the optimal placement of networking equipment will help
deliver a better wireless service. This paper presents data analyses and Wi-Fi
signal coverage maps obtained by performing wireless radio surveys, coverage
predictions and statistical analysis of data from the existing access points to
show the current Wi-Fi performance in several locations of a large university
campus. It them makes recommendations that should improve performance. These
recommendations are derived from AP performance testing and made in the context
of cabling length limitations and physical and aesthetic placement restrictions
that are present at each location.
