Investigation of Received Signal Strength of IEEE 802.11n WLAN in Coverage of Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University

Wireless networks (WLAN) of IEEE 802.11n standards are being deployed in increasing numbers. The applications require high bandwidth so WLAN will be provided the high data rate over coverage area. The enhancements of WLAN bring to network engineers having significant problems of installing the access point. Prior to the installation of access points, it is difficult to predict access can be guaranteed at specific locations or not. To guarantee high data rate and quality of service, site survey of WLAN in Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University (NRRU) is required. The importance parameter related to data rate and quality of service is Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). WLAN investigation of received signal strength was measured inside indoor environment by using 3 programs: InSSIDer, Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector and WirelessMon Professional. In this paper, free space loss equation with and without antenna gain can be simply applied to predict RSSI. This work is useful for WLAN planning of future NRRU.