5-day training event
6100-3201

This Ekahau WiFi RF Planning and Site Survey Tool training course provides hands‑on instruction for network engineers and IT professionals on designing, deploying, and validating high‑performance wireless LANs using Ekahau Pro and Ekahau Sidekick. Participants learn RF fundamentals, spectrum analysis, predictive planning, heat‑map creation, capacity planning, channel and power optimization, and practical site survey techniques for enterprise, healthcare, education, and industrial environments. The course covers real‑world workflows including conducting active and passive surveys, troubleshooting interference, generating professional reports, and interpreting performance metrics to meet coverage, capacity, and roaming requirements. Attendees leave with the skills to produce accurate predictive models, perform efficient on‑site validation, and apply best practices for ongoing Wi‑Fi optimization and documentation.

Target audience:

• Wireless network engineers and technicians

• IT professionals responsible for Wi‑Fi design, deployment, and optimization

• Consultants and integrators performing site surveys and RF planning

• Students preparing for Ekahau certifications or vendor-neutral Wi‑Fi exams

Prerequisites:

• Basic networking knowledge (TCP/IP, VLANs, SSIDs)

• Familiarity with 802.11 fundamentals (channels, bands, modulation)

• Laptop with Ekahau Pro installed (or access to training lab)

• Optional: experience with enterprise Wi‑Fi hardware

Course Outlines

Introduction to Ekahau and Course Objectives

• Course goals, syllabus, and lab environment overview

• Ekahau product family: Ekahau Pro, Sidekick, Capture, Cloud, and Connect

• Licensing, system requirements, and software installation checklist

• Safety and on-site survey considerations

  Wi‑Fi RF Fundamentals Review

• 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz vs 6 GHz characteristics and trade-offs

• Channel planning, co‑channel vs adjacent channel interference

• RF propagation basics: path loss, reflection, diffraction, absorption

• Antenna types, patterns, gain, and mounting considerations

• Impact of materials and building construction on RF

  Ekahau Pro User Interface and Project Setup

• Creating projects, floor plans, and multi-floor sites

• Importing and calibrating floor plans, scale, orientation

• Setting up building materials and assigning material attenuation values

• Defining networks, SSIDs, security types, and client profiles

• Using project notes and survey metadata

  Predictive RF Planning and Heatmap Modeling

• Placing access points and using AP templates (vendor models)

• Automated vs manual AP placement strategies

• Running predictive coverage, throughput, and interference heatmaps

• Capacity planning: device density, throughput targets, SNR and MCS expectations

• Evaluating predictive results and iterating AP placement

• Ekahau Sidekick and Survey Hardware

• Ekahau Sidekick capabilities and usage best practices

• Other supported survey adapters and mobile devices

• Survey equipment setup, calibration, and verification

• Conducting spectrum scans with Sidekick or external analysers

• Managing survey hardware firmware and drivers

  Active and Passive Site Surveys

• Passive vs active vs combined surveys: when to use each

• Performing walking surveys: speed, path planning, and sample density

• Tagging measurement points, creating manual reference points

• Using directional antenna measurements when required

• Best practices for survey data quality and repeatability

  Spectrum Analysis and Interference Troubleshooting

• Interpreting spectrum view and waterfall displays

• Identifying non‑Wi‑Fi interferers and their signatures

• Correlating spectrum data with Wi‑Fi performance issues

• Using spectrum scan logs to recommend mitigation (channel change, shielding)

• Practical exercises: detect and mitigate interference scenarios

  Post‑Survey Analysis and Validation

• Processing survey data and fixing alignment/calibration errors

• Creating coverage, SNR, throughput, and roaming heatmaps from survey data

• Validating predictive models against survey results

• Identifying dead zones, coverage holes, and capacity shortfalls

• Documenting findings and actionable remediation steps

  Advanced Design Considerations

• Designing for voice, video, and high‑density use cases

• Roaming and handoff considerations, 802.11r/k/v basics

• MIMO, spatial streams, and antenna diversity effects in modeling

• Planning for outdoor, mixed‑use, and industrial environments

• Redundancy, channel reuse, and power planning best practices

  Troubleshooting Workflows and Real‑World Scenarios

• Systematic troubleshooting methodology using Ekahau outputs

• Case studies: poor throughput, intermittent connectivity, roaming failures

• Combining Ekahau data with controller/AP logs and client diagnostics

• Rapid field triage: pass/fail checks and quick fixes

• Creating prioritized remediation plans

  Reporting and Deliverables

• Building professional survey reports and executive summaries

• Customizing report content: maps, heatmaps, survey metrics, and recommendations

• Export formats: PDF, CSV, images, project backups

• Presenting findings to technical and non‑technical stakeholders

• Handoff materials for installation teams (AP placement maps, cabling notes)

5-day training event
6100-3082

This intensive 5G RF Planning & Design training course provides engineers and RF professionals with a practical, end-to-end understanding of next-generation mobile network design, covering spectrum characteristics, propagation and channel modelling, link budget and interference analysis, antenna systems (including MIMO and massive MIMO), beamforming, small cell and heterogeneous network strategies, and capacity and coverage optimization techniques. Participants will learn hands-on use of industry-standard planning tools and simulation workflows to perform site surveys, cell splitting, handover planning, and traffic forecasting, while applying best practices for frequency reuse, coexistence with legacy technologies, and network energy efficiency. The curriculum addresses physical-layer constraints, deployment considerations for mmWave and sub-6 GHz bands, backhaul/fronthaul design choices, and performance validation metrics, with case studies and lab exercises that reinforce troubleshooting, parameter tuning, and real-world deployment decision-making. By course completion, attendees will be able to develop robust RF designs, produce detailed design reports, and recommend scalable deployment strategies that meet coverage, capacity, and quality-of-service targets for commercial 5G networks.

Course Outlines

Introduction to 5G Planning

• 5G Frequency Bands

• Most Popular 5G Bands to Deploy

• Subcarrier Spacing vs Cell Size

• 5G FDD TDD Modes

• Advantages of TDD Deployment

• Steps in 5G Cellular Planning

5G RAN Dimensioning

• What is Coverage Dimensioning?

• What are Path Loss and Propagation Path loss Models?

• 3GPP Propagation Models

• Rural Macro

• Urban Macro

• Urban Micro

• Propagation Models before 5G

• Okumara-Hata Model

• Walfisch Ikegami

• Sakagami Kubi Models

• Selection Criteria for Selection of PL Model

• Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL)

• Cell Area, Intersite Distance and Required Number of cells Calculation

• Link Budget Equation

•  Factors affecting LInk Budget

• Building Penetration Loss

• Foliage (Vegetation) Loss

• Rain Fade Margin

• Body Block Loss

•  Interference Margin

• Shadow Fading Margin (SFM) and Location Probability

• Shadow Fading Margin Vs Cell Size

• Shadow Fading Standard Deviation Values for Propagation Models & SFM calculation

• Effect of Active Antenna Unit (AAU) on Link Budget

• Capacity Dimensioning

• Traffic Model and KPIs for capacity dimensioning

• Capacity Dimensioning Calculation

Propagation Model Tuning

• Propagation Model Tuning Steps

•  Drive Test Preparation And Procedure

•  Drive Test Measurements

•  The Standard Propagation Model Used in Model Tuning

•  Setting K1 and K2 coefficients

•  Diffraction Loss Multiplier Coefficient K4

•  Clutter Loss Coefficient K_clutter

•  Measuring goodness of Model Tuning

• Model Tuning Example from Atoll RF Planning Tool

Nominal (Detailed Simulation) Planning

•  Inputs & Outputs of 5G Coverage Planning Simulation

• 3D Ray Tracing Model

• electronic Maps For RF Planning And Their Basic Formats

•  3D Electronic Map Types: DTM, DLU, DHM and 3D Vector

• Coverage Planning & Plots: Composite Plot, Dominance Maps, Overlapping Zone Plot

•  3D Coverage Prediction

•   Monte Carlo (Dynamic) Simulations

•   Defining New Services in Planning Tool

•  Defining User Profiles, Geographical User Density and Traffic Distribution

•  Simulation Methodology for Monte-Carlo Simulations

•  Detailed Coverage and Capacity Prediction Maps

5G NR Beam Planning

• 5G NR Beam Classification

• Static Beams

•  Dynamic Beams

•  Broadcast Beam Coverage Scenarios

•  Scenario Selection Of Broadcast Beams

5G Downtilt Planning

• Antenna Tilt Types

  • • Mechanical Tilt

    • Electrical Tilt

    • Preset Electrical Tilt

    • Mechanical Tilt

•  Total 5G Beam Downtilt

•  Same Coverage of SSB and CSI-RSRP Beams

•  5G RF Downtilt Planning Principles

Detailed Parameter Planning: Physical Cell ID (PCI) Planning

• PCI Collision-Free Principle

• PCI Confusion Free Principle

•  Minimizing PCI Planning Impact On Network Performance

• PCI Mod 3 Staggering for PSS

• PCI Mod 4 Staggering For DMRS on PBCH

• PCI Mod 30 Staggering For DMRS on PUSCH, PUCCH and SRS

Detailed Parameter Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) Planning

• Preamble Sequence Formats

• Steps in PRACH Planning

• Select PRACH Format

• Calculate Number of Cyclic Shifts Ncs Cell Radius

• Calculate Number of Preambles Per RSI

• Calculate the Number of RSIs per cell and RSI groups

5-day training event
6100-3110

Microwave, mmWave, and Massive MIMO fundamentals center on how electromagnetic waves are generated, propagated, and manipulated to maximize wireless capacity and coverage: microwave frequencies (roughly 1–30 GHz) offer robust propagation and penetration for wide-area and backhaul links; mmWave bands (roughly 24–100 GHz) provide very large contiguous bandwidths enabling multi-gigabit throughput but require highly directional antennas and suffer greater path loss and susceptibility to blockage; Massive MIMO leverages large antenna arrays and advanced beamforming algorithms to spatially multiplex many users simultaneously, increasing spectral efficiency while mitigating interference and compensating for higher-frequency impairments through beam steering, channel estimation, and precoding; together these technologies demand careful system design—including antenna array geometry, RF front-end linearity, channel modeling, and link-adaptation strategies—to balance trade-offs among coverage, capacity, latency, and hardware complexity in next-generation wireless networks.

Course Outlines

Fundamentals of Microwave, mmWave, and Massive MIMO

Course overview

• Target audience: RF engineers, wireless systems engineers, graduate students, technical managers

• Course goals:

  • Provide core theoretical foundations of microwave and mmWave propagation and components

  • Explain system-level design principles for mmWave links and 5G/6G use cases

  • Introduce Massive MIMO concepts, channel modelling, signal processing, and practical implementation challenges

  • Equip participants to evaluate trade-offs and design components and subsystems for high-frequency wireless systems

Module 1 — Fundamental Electromagnetics for Microwave and mmWave

• Objectives:

  • Refresh Maxwell’s equations and wave solutions relevant to guided and radiated propagation

  • Highlight frequency-dependent phenomena and scaling laws

• Topics:

  • Maxwell’s equations and boundary conditions (brief review)

  • Plane waves, wave polarization, wave impedance

  • Wave propagation in homogeneous and layered media

  • Skin effect, conductor and dielectric losses, frequency scaling

  • Near-field vs far-field regions; Fraunhofer and Fresnel zones

Module 2 — Microwave Components and Network Theory

• Objectives:

  • Understand common microwave building blocks and S-parameter network analysis

• Topics:

  • Transmission line theory and distributed circuit models

  • S-parameters: measurement, interpretation, and cascaded networks

  • Matching networks, Smith chart techniques

  • Passive components: couplers, filters, hybrids, attenuators

  • Active components: low-noise amplifiers, mixers, power amplifiers — linearity and noise considerations

Module 3 — Antenna Theory and Array Fundamentals

• Objectives:

  • Cover single-element antenna behavior and the basics of array theory

• Topics:

  • Antenna parameters: gain, directivity, efficiency, bandwidth, polarization

  • Antenna types for mmWave: patch, slot, dipole, horn, lens antennas

  • Array factor, beamforming basics, grating lobes, element spacing

  • Mutual coupling effects and their impact on pattern and impedance

  • Beam steering hardware: phase shifters, true time delay vs phase control

Module 4 — mmWave Propagation and Channel Modeling

• Objectives:

  • Present propagation characteristics specific to mmWave bands and modeling approaches

• Topics:

  • Path loss models: free-space, empirical (CI, FI), and site-specific models

  • Penetration, diffraction, scattering, and reflection at mmWave frequencies

  • Atmospheric absorption, rain/foliage effects, blockage (human, vehicle)

  • Small-scale fading, delay spread, angular spread

  • Stochastic and deterministic channel models: 3GPP, NYU, QuaDRiGa, ray tracing basics

Module 5 — Link Budget, System Design, and RF Chain Considerations

• Objectives:

  • Teach end-to-end link budgeting and practical system trade-offs for mmWave links

• Topics:

  • Link budget components: transmitter, path loss, antenna gains, receiver sensitivity, noise figure

  • Dynamic range, EIRP constraints, regulatory considerations

  • Duplexing options: TDD vs FDD at mmWave

  • Front-end architectures: hybrid beamforming, fully digital, analog beamforming

  • RF impairments: phase noise, I/Q imbalance, nonlinearity, calibration requirements

Module 6 — Massive MIMO Principles

• Objectives:

  • Introduce the concepts and theoretical foundations of Massive MIMO

• Topics:

  • Multiuser MIMO fundamentals and capacity scaling laws

  • Channel state information (CSI): acquisition, reciprocity, pilot design, pilot contamination

  • Linear precoding and combining: MRT, ZF, MMSE

  • Spatial multiplexing gains, degrees of freedom, and asymptotic behaviour

  • Hardware scaling, cost/complexity trade-offs

5-day training event
6100-3010

This intensive 5-day program builds a solid foundation in radio frequency (RF) theory and wireless network fundamentals for engineers, technicians, and IT professionals entering or advancing in the wireless field.

Participants will learn core RF concepts — propagation, antennas, link budgets, modulation, and spectrum management — alongside practical, hands-on exposure to real-world wireless technologies including Wi-Fi, cellular, and fixed wireless systems.

By the end of the course, attendees will have the technical knowledge and confidence to plan, design, and troubleshoot wireless networks, setting the stage for more advanced, technology-specific training.

Course Outlines

Basic Radio and RF Concepts

• RF Energy

• RF Generation, Transmission, and Reception

• Oscillators and Power Amplifiers

• dB and dBm power conversions

• Digital Modulation of RF Signals

• Amplitude, Frequency Modulation, QAM & QPSK

• Filtering

• Equalizers

• Multiple Access Techniques

• TDMA, FDMA, CDMA

• OFDM, W-OFDM, SOFDMA

• Duplexing, TDD vs. FDD

• Channel Coding

• Spread-Spectrum Modulation

RF Propagation Principles

• Path / Propagation Losses

• Fading

• Fade Margin and Fresnel Zone

• Link Budgets

• Receiver Sensitivity

• Noise Figure

• Guard Band

• BER vs. Noise

• Link Budget and High-Level System Design

• Sample Link Budget Calculations

Antennas

• Antennas Basics

• Effective Radiated Power (ERP)

• Directivity and Gain Antenna Types

• Antenna Radiation Patterns

• Polarization

• Diversity Antenna Systems

• MIMO Antenna Systems

System Planning

• Wireless Topologies: PTP and PMP

• LOS, NrLOS, NLOS

• Licensed & Unlicensed Frequency Bands

• Frequency Planning

• Frequency Reuse

• RF Site Survey

• RF Site Survey Tool