Estimating signal strength coverage for a wireless access point

Estimating the signal strength coverage of a wireless access point (AP), given its desired location at a site, is essential in many instances, e.g., to determine optimal AP placement. In this paper, we present a new non-parametric modeling solution, based on sampling, for this problem. We use sample measurements from several fixed APs in a novel way to compute a signal coverage model for an AP at a random location. Our technique automatically takes into account the signal strength propagation characteristics of the site and also allows for an efficient deployment methodology. We present an experimental study that validates the practical usability of the proposed technique.