Published range is a line-of-sight measurement and does not carry over to a building. Before confirming the configuration with the client, run a walk test with a unit in hand, out to the worst points on the site: basement, terrace, kitchen and stairwell.
Procedure
List the worst points before walking
Write down the list of difficult spots: basement, walk-in cooler, kitchen, terrace, parking, stairwell, restrooms, upper floor. An improvised test often misses the one spot that will cause trouble two weeks after go-live.
Place the transmitter in its final position
A test run with the transmitter sitting on a table is worthless if the unit will end up mounted high behind a partition. Test the configuration the client will actually have.
Walk with a receiver in hand
Have a call triggered from the sending point at each spot on your list, and note whether the unit responds. A simple yes or no per point is enough for this survey.
Repeat the test with the building occupied
An empty room and a full room do not behave the same way. If the test was run in the morning, have the marginal points confirmed during a service, before invoicing.
Adjust the configuration before confirming it
Moving the transmitter, mounting it higher or adding a sending point is decided during the test. Reported during the test, insufficient range becomes one more line in the quote; discovered after go-live, it becomes a dispute.
Check these before calling support
- Every point on the list has been tested and its result written down.
- The configuration offered to the client is based on the test results.
Useful terms
- Line-of-sight range
Line-of-sight range is the maximum distance between transmitter and receiver with nothing in between.
- Paging
Paging is a local radio system that alerts one specific person without going through the cellular network or Wi-Fi.
- Guest coaster pager
The guest coaster pager is the unit handed to a waiting customer.
Hardware involved
- LRS guest paging (Wireless paging)
- LRS staff paging (Wireless paging)
- LRS call buttons (Wireless paging)