Building Assessments

PCW regularly installs WiFi at a wide range of building types, such as rowhomes, multi-dwelling units (MDUs), community centers, and public spaces such as parks and gardens.

To assess a building for installation, we have to ask the following questions:

  • Does the building have line-of-sight (LoS) to a PhillyWisper high site or close proximity to a current PCW mesh node?

    • Without direct LoS to a high site or existing node, the uplink radio's performance will be significantly degraded (if it can connect at all).
    • Google Earth can be a useful tool for determining potential LoS, but in many cases a site visit may be necessary.
    • Foliage from trees can cause significant interference - sites that are viable in the winter may be blocked by foliage in the summer!
    • New construction also pops up suddenly. It is important to verify the conditions of the location in person, as Google maps etc may not have the latest surroundings up to date.

  • Does the building have easy, safe, and simple roof/top floor access?

    • Are ladders required? Are there stairs/a roof access hatch?
    • LiteBeams are ideally installed on the roof, either via pre-existing roof structure, j-arm mount on the wall, or non-penetrating roof mount.
    • Do we have permission to mount on the building or on structures on the roof?
    • PCW only installs on flat roofs, with rare exceptions.

  • Is there access to power?

    • If outdoors, is the power source protected?
    • Will the power source need to be used by something else? Is it accessible to others who could unplug our equipment?
    • Are there pre-existing penetrations we can reuse to run power-over-Ethernet from indoors?
    • PCW does NOT drill through roofs as they are too difficult to waterproof.

  • Are there easy ways to mount access points?

    • eg: existing poles we could simply ziptie APs to VS bringing a non-penetrating roof mount or j-arm.
    • How much cable will we have to run?
    • What sort of access points will be necessary? Some are not weatherproof and can only be used indoors.
    • Is there a chance mounting access points could damage the roof or walls?
    • Is there pre-existing Internet infrastructure (previous coaxial or fiber installations) we need to be mindful of? Cables running in parallel can interfere with each other, degrading performance for both connections

  • If maintenance is required, will we be able to return in the future? As an example, this is an ideal install site:

An ideal roof install location
An ideal roof install location in Kensington
  • The roof is clear of debris and is flat, with plenty of space for non-penetrating roof mounts.
  • The building is taller than almost every other building in the area, giving it free LoS to both PhillyWisper high sites and other potential PtP/PtMP sites.
  • There is power on the roof, in this case covered GFCIs.