Dell PowerConnect W-Airwave User Manual page 5

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VisualRF Plan – Makes the planning portions of VisualRF available in an offline software package
that does not require a server.
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QuickView – Flash front-end for VisualRF which displays information generated by the backend
service.
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mW – 1/1000 of a Watt. It is a linear measurement (always positive) generally used to represent
transmission.
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dB (Decibels) – difference/ratio between two signal levels.
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dBm – dB as compared to 1 mW. It is a logarithmic measurement (integer) which is typically used
in place of mW to represent receive-power level. AMP normalizes all signals to dBm, so it easy to
evaluate performance between various vendors
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RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) - IEEE defines RSSI is a mechanism by which RF
energy is to be measured by the circuitry on a wireless NIC (0-255). RSSI is not standard across
vendors. Each vendor determines their own RSSI scale/values.
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AP-to-AP Signal (Neighbor) – Some APs/Controllers have the ability to report the signal strength
of APs that they hear. AMP utilizes these signal strength readings to dynamically attenuate floors
plans thus making client locations and heat maps more accurate.
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Unassociated Client Information – Some APs/Controllers have the ability to report the signal
strength clients they hear, but are not associated with a radio on the AP. AMP utilizes these signal
strength readings to more accurately place clients.
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Client Surveys – Client surveys are facilitated completely within VisualRF and utilize access points
to understand which clients they hear and at what signal strength.
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Rogue Surveys – Rogue surveys are facilitated by AMC and VisualRF and utilize the client's radio
to understand which access points they hear and what signal strength.
AWMS is the only WLAN management application that understands unique RF characteristics for
every enterprise WLAN manufacturer. This includes receive sensitivity at all data rates, antenna
characteristics, and supported transmit power levels for every architecture and individual model. AMP
normalizes signal metrics which might come as RSSI or SNR into dBm enabling customers to visualize
and compare different vendors, models, and architectures.
Figure 1. "Sample Vendor Specific Implementation of RSSI"
Visual RF and Visual RF Plan | User Guide P 5