Ekahau AI Pro Reviews

We use Ekahau as our primary survey tool for conducting wireless surveys. Our sites range anywhere from small buildings with three access points to large buildings with up to 40 access points. So, we're pretty diverse in using this software. We also do post-surveys by using the software with Sidekick, which is a device that monitors wireless signals.

We use it on a standalone solution. We don't use it in a cloud environment because of the restrictions with getting the government certifications to put it on the network. So, we use it in a standalone environment.

There are some survey tools that are a little easier to use, but the benefit of using the Ekahau is that it is very configurable. If you go into a building that has solid cement walls, instead of traditional walls, you can configure it for that. It is much more configurable than the other ones.

The survey tool is most valuable.

In all of our buildings, whenever we deploy wireless access points, we also have to deploy wireless intrusion detections. The Ekahau Site Survey tool doesn't allow us to differentiate between the access point and the intrusion detection device. That's because they're the same devices, but they're configured differently for the type of usage. That's one area that I would ask them to improve. They should allow the identification of access points versus wireless intrusion detection. 

It is somewhat expensive to renew the licenses every year. Obviously, most places can't maintain that. You would think that if you're not using the software any differently than you were from day one, then the license that you initially purchased would be good from that point forward, but it is not like that.

I have been using this solution for about three years.

It is very stable except for renewing the licenses every year.

It is extremely scalable because you can deploy this solution in many different ways. You can deploy it as a standalone solution. You can deploy it in an enterprise environment or in a cloud environment. It can be deployed however you are capable of deploying it and whatever works best for you. So, it is very scalable.

Currently, just me and the other wireless PMs are using this solution. Because of the license restriction, we can't allow too many people to use it. It has to be pretty much tailored to one or two devices because we can't pass the licenses around to different devices.

It is our primary wireless survey tool. So, it is used pretty extensively.

I haven't really had to use them, but I'm assuming they would be pretty good. Ekahau has been good at everything else, so I'm assuming the technical team would also be very good.

We used something called Virtual Suite. The only reason we used that was that it was open source. We needed somewhere to start. So, we started with that. When we were able to purchase the Ekahau software, we started using it. We've been using it ever since.

It is pretty straightforward. It is not complex. If you've never used survey tools, it would be difficult when you use it for the first time. If you've used survey tools before, then it's no different than any of the other tools.

In terms of the implementation strategy, we had to develop a standalone suite and deploy the software onto those standalone tablets. We just had to load it on standalone computers. Currently, we have to maintain licenses to access the software every year. Other than that, it's not really difficult.

We did it all ourselves. For its deployment and maintenance, we have a staff of two people.

That's a tricky thing. When it started off, we had one three-year license and one one-year license because we have two devices. Now, from my understanding, we can only renew every year or get a one-year license, and that cost varies. Being a government organization, we get a different cost than commercial.

We have deployed it on Surface Pro tablets. So, the only other cost would be the hardware cost.

We evaluated other solutions.

I would highly recommend going to the Ekahau training class. They have a class to train you on how to do surveys. 

I would rate it a 10 out of 10 because as a project manager doing wireless surveys, it gives me all the tools and access that I need to be able to conduct a proper survey. The only thing that it requires is the ability to differentiate between an access point and a wireless intrusion detection device.

We use Ekahau Site Survey for our customers' companies. I work for a Cisco partner and a Huawei partner, and we use the product when we deploy Cisco and Huawei.

I have found all of the features useful, depending on which phase we're looking for. The planning feature is useful because it's very affordable. The planning feature permits us to import the DWG file and get the old wall inside of it.

The building feature is also useful because it can be done layer by layer and floor by floor, not only in the planning site.

The GPS feature inside Ekahau could be improved. When we have a small office, it's no problem because the planning and workflow is just enough, but in the grid field we have a 250 access point. In this case, performing a survey work through is complicated, and the GPS feature could be very useful.

When we generate the report, sometimes we have too much information and it's not explained well. We have to take time to change it or make comments because it's not clear, especially for our customers who don't have deeper knowledge. 

The radial planning feature could be improved. The interference report and the spectrum analyzer could be easier to use. It would help if an estimate of the program could tell us what type of interference we have. For instance, Cisco tell us what types of interference there are.

It would be helpful if the tool could be managed by someone who doesn't have a lot of experience and doesn't need any support to do a site survey. That could increase its value in comparison with other software.

I have been using Ekahau Site Survey for about 10 years.

We don't have much experience with technical support because we don't have many problems. However, we have had problems with software licensing. Sometimes the GPS will be broken or unavailable. In that case, we contacted Ekahau for technical assistance and after that, we didn't have any problems with the product.

The pricing could be lower because the Huawei radial planning is free for the partner. When I asked my boss about buying Ekahau and the USB key, it was complicated because of the high cost, which is €5,000.

For the licensing policy, I spent €5,000 and get support for maybe one or two years. It could be cheaper.

I would rate this solution seven out of ten.

We are using Ekahau Pro. We have been using it for site surveys. We are mainly using it for passive site surveys for large venues such as sporting arenas and convention centers.

I don't handle the software that much. I'll do some of the testing with our CTO. It is primarily him and I. He has commented before that he likes the fact that with two licenses, we can set it up so that when we're on a large facility, he can see where I am and I can see where he is. That's for sure is very handy in large venues. 

It is a little bit more expensive than other solutions. 

Our CTO was not real happy with their support.

I have probably two years of hands-on experience.

I don't recall any stability issues. We're quite happy with it.

One thing I know our CTO was not real happy with was support. I can't recall the issue, but dealing with the support in the US was a bit painful. We bought it directly out of the US as opposed to Canada.

It was pretty straightforward for my CTO.

If the business would've kept going the way it was, we probably would've had it for a couple of years. With COVID and everything, we had a bit of a gap in the continuation of the workload that we had scheduled.

The licenses are a little pricey compared to iBwave, etc.

Overall, we're pretty happy with it. One reason why we bought Ekahau was that one of our major customers happen to use Ekahau at a large Telco. They just don't have a lot of operators that can run it, and when we provide reports to them, it is for them to read and research, and things like that.

I work closely with the guy who does all the CAD work. He imports the CAD files and sets everything up, and he seems to be happy with that aspect of it. He had just that one issue with service support. So, based on that, I would rate it a nine out of 10.

This product is used to conduct Wi-Fi site surveys.

We are satisfied with the way this product is working.

The support is an area in need of improvement.

In the next release, I would like to see a legend that shows the capacities.

We have had a couple of issues in the past 12 months, but they have been resolved and at this time, it seems okay.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

I use the solution for conducting surveys of large-scale businesses and healthcare institutes.

The solution is a reliable survey application.

Presently, we can only integrate the solution with Mac OS. It has been costly for us and affects the decision process too. They should provide integration with Windows as well.

I have been using the solution for two and a half years.

It is a very stable solution.

The solution's support team works well.

Neutral

The solution's initial setup was straightforward. It took 30 minutes for the process to complete.

We took help from a third-party vendor to implement the solution.

The solution is less costly than iBwave. You need to buy a separate license per user. The additional costs are based on the use cases.

I advise others to learn about the different functions of wired and wireless versions of the solution. Also, it would help if they installed the solution on an iPad Pro with a LiDAR scanner for autopilot feature to run smoothly.

I rate the solution as a seven.

We use the solution for Wi-Fi validation, signal analysis, and maps.

The solution is user-friendly and it provides a good output that can be measured, and I can describe and pinpoint any inaccuracy shortfalls.

The report generation has room for improvement and is missing small details.

I have been using the solution for a couple of years.

I give the stability an eight out of ten.

I give the scalability an eight out of ten. When the license is being used on the accounting side the solution is occupied and we have to wait to generate the report we require. In order to avoid waiting an additional license is required to run both functions at once.

The initial setup is straightforward. We only need to import the cache and restart it.

The implementation is completed in-house.

I give the solution a seven out of ten.

Ekahau Site Survey is fast and reliable. I recommend the solution to others.

The scalability of the solution is good.

I am having problems importing maps to Ekahau Site Survey. Importing is one of the first steps in using the solution and it is getting stuck. The problem could be that our maps are large with many layers.

I have been using Ekahau Site Survey for approximately one month.

I rate the stability of the Ekahau Site Survey a six out of ten.

Ekahau Site Survey is scalable.

In my company, my network team of less than 10 is using the solution.

We have had a problem with the solution and the support has not figured out how to solve it.

The initial setup of the Ekahau Site Survey is easy.

I rate Ekahau Site Survey a seven out of ten.

Anyone suffering WiFi issues should have a solid WiFi site survey conducted. Same if you are going to design a new system. 

It allows me to conduct more in-depth surveys and find the problems in a consistent manner. It also helps in preparing proposals for new networks. 

The most valuable features are the ability to read existing WiFi services and to produce a reliable report on coverage.

The coverage patterns / strengths built into the inventory of APs in Ekahau is overly optimistic or too generous. This is not the fault of Ekahau - it is the fault of the various vendors that produce the antenna patterns they use. We tested several models of Cisco and Ubiquiti devices in open areas and found that reality versus the Ekahau predictive values were different. In reality, they did not cover as far and as strong as Ekahau’s inventory would suggest. Again - not the fault of Ekahau. This is an issue with the data being supplied to them by the various vendors. 

This can lead to a bad design when using a predictive survey. Our testing was conducted on an open field with no major source of RF interference in the area. 

The product is still very valuable when used by someone with enough experience in the field to know when something doesn't seem right. Someone that can make adjustments to the design based on reality. 

I have not really encountered any stability issues.

I have not encountered any scalability issues.

Customer Service:

Customer service is slow to respond. They respond but the 24-hour delay to hold an open dialog is painful. There are options to call during the day and they work well.

Technical Support:

Technical support is good.

We previously used AirMagnet and NetSpot. We switched due to cost and performance. AirMagnet actually crashed a laptop and caused a complete system rebuild. NetSpot is nothing more than a low-end reader and isn't very accurate. 

Initial setup was fairly simple.

I implemented it on my own.

The ROI was pretty quick. Since I do survey work as a revenue stream, I had to conduct three paid gigs to pay for itself.

Pricing and licensing is high. Expect to pay $3000-4000 to just get the software in place... plus hardware needed. It adds up quickly. 

Before choosing this product, we also evaluated AirMagnet.

It is a good product but support needs to speed up responses. It takes 24-48 hours to get a simple response. You pay $1389 per year for support and you are had-pressed to get timely answers.