# SemFio Networks

> SemFio Networks is a Wi-Fi engineering firm for complex environments. Senior engineers only, two CWNEs, fewer projects at a higher standard.

## Key facts

- SemFio Networks is an independent Wi-Fi engineering firm specialising in complex, high-density and high-stakes wireless environments.
- Every engagement is delivered by senior engineers. There are no junior hand-offs: the engineer who scopes the project does the work.
- The firm has two CWNEs (Certified Wireless Network Expert), the highest certification in the Wi-Fi industry.
- Services: Wi-Fi design, site surveys and validation, troubleshooting, advisory and design review, training and mentoring.
- Industries served: higher education, healthcare, manufacturing and warehousing, retail, large public venues, and travel.
- The firm is vendor-neutral and works across the major enterprise Wi-Fi platforms.
- The firm limits the number of concurrent projects so each one receives full engineering attention and complete documentation.

## Services

- Wi-Fi Design: Requirements-driven designs: capacity and coverage modelling, AP placement, antenna selection, channel and power planning, and full documentation your team can build from.
- Site Surveys & Validation: Post-deployment surveys plus roaming and application testing against the devices that matter, measured against your requirements.
- Troubleshooting: Deep RF and protocol analysis for problems that have already resisted other attempts. Packet captures, spectrum analysis, and a clear root cause.
- Event Support: Wi-Fi monitoring and on-site support for live events, from setup through the last day.
- Advisory & Consulting: An independent senior review of your design, vendor proposal, or RFP before you commit budget. Strategy guidance for enterprise Wi-Fi products.
- Wi-Fi Training: CWNP certification courses and custom in-person training, taught by the people who do the work.

## Industries served

- Higher Education (/verticals/higher-education): Campus Wi-Fi has to serve dense classrooms, residence halls that behave like apartment buildings, research equipment with unusual requirements, and a student body that expects wired-quality wireless everywhere. SemFio Networks designs and validates campus wireless for that reality.
- Healthcare (/verticals/healthcare): Hospital Wi-Fi carries medical devices, real-time location systems, clinical communication and patient services on the same infrastructure. SemFio Networks designs and validates healthcare wireless where coverage and roaming simply cannot fail.
- Manufacturing & Warehousing (/verticals/manufacturing-warehousing): Metal racking, tall storage, forklifts, AGVs and interference from industrial equipment make plants and warehouses among the hardest RF environments there are. SemFio Networks designs wireless that keeps scanners and vehicles connected while inventory and machinery change around them.
- Retail (/verticals/retail): Retail Wi-Fi carries point of sale, inventory scanning, staff devices and guest access, usually across many locations that must behave the same way. SemFio Networks builds repeatable retail designs that scale from one store to a whole estate.
- Large Public Venues (/verticals/large-public-venues): Large public venues put tens of thousands of users in one space, all connecting within minutes of each other, with no second chance on event day. SemFio Networks designs and validates extreme-density Wi-Fi for stadiums, arenas and convention centres.
- Travel (/verticals/travel): Airports, hangars, ships, transit hubs and hotels combine large open spaces, transient users, critical operational systems and a public expectation of instant, free connectivity. SemFio Networks designs wireless that serves both the traveller and the operation.

## Pages (English)

- [SemFio Networks — Wi-Fi Engineering for Complex Environments](/): SemFio Networks is a Wi-Fi engineering firm for complex environments: design, validation and troubleshooting by senior engineers, including two CWNEs.
- [About Us — SemFio Networks](/about): SemFio Networks is a specialist Wi-Fi engineering firm founded in 2014: our vision, our story, our values, and the two CWNEs who do the engineering work.
- [Services — SemFio Networks](/services): Wi-Fi design, site surveys and validation, troubleshooting, advisory and design review, plus training — all delivered by senior engineers.
- [Blog — SemFio Networks](/blog): Practical Wi-Fi engineering articles and field notes from the SemFio Networks team.
- [Book a Free Wi-Fi Consultation — SemFio Networks](/contact): Tell us about your environment and requirements. Book a free consultation with a senior Wi-Fi engineer at SemFio Networks.
- [Privacy Policy — SemFio Networks](/privacy): How SemFio Networks collects, uses and protects your information.
- [Higher Education Wi-Fi Engineering — SemFio Networks](/verticals/higher-education): Wi-Fi design and validation for lecture halls, residence halls and research labs, where device density is extreme and expectations are wired-quality.
- [Healthcare Wi-Fi Engineering — SemFio Networks](/verticals/healthcare): Clinical-grade Wi-Fi design and validation for hospitals: medical devices, real-time location systems and roaming that cannot fail.
- [Manufacturing & Warehouse Wi-Fi Engineering — SemFio Networks](/verticals/manufacturing-warehousing): Wi-Fi design for plants and warehouses: metal racking, tall storage, forklifts, AGVs and industrial interference.
- [Retail Wi-Fi Engineering — SemFio Networks](/verticals/retail): Repeatable Wi-Fi designs for retail: point of sale, inventory scanning, staff devices and guest access that scale across every location.
- [Stadium & Arena Wi-Fi Engineering — SemFio Networks](/verticals/large-public-venues): Extreme-density Wi-Fi design for stadiums, arenas and convention centres, validated before the doors open.
- [Airport, Transit & Hospitality Wi-Fi Engineering — SemFio Networks](/verticals/travel): Wi-Fi design for airports, transit hubs and hospitality: open concourses, operational systems and transient users expecting instant access.

## Blog

120 articles on Wi-Fi engineering, newest first. Written by François Vergès, CWNE #180 and Amin SedighFar, CWNE #622.

Topics: ap installation, apos, aruba, automation, bracket, canada, capacity, ccc, cci, cisco, community, culture, cwnp, data rates, design, devops, ekahau, frame analysis, fspl, gartner, ieee, iot, ised, krack, make wi-fi visible, mcs, mimo, mist, poe, presentation, python, regulations, security, site survey, spectrum, standards, tip, tools, wi-fi 6, wi-fi 7, wifi, wireless, wireshark, wlanpi.

- [Standard Power on 6 GHz: The Biggest Challenge in Today's Enterprise Wi-Fi](/blog/standard-power-on-6-ghz-the-biggest-challenge-in-today-s-enterprise-wi-fi) — 2026-10-16: Last week, I explained why we now run 6 GHz LPI a little hotter than 5 GHz. The obvious next question, which I get asked a lot in the field, is whether…
- [6 GHz Transmit Power: Time for Updated Best Practices](/blog/6-ghz-transmit-power-time-for-updated-best-practices) — 2026-10-09: Over the last couple of years, I have watched 6 GHz cells come in short at validation on designs I was confident in.
- [Wi-Fi Data Rates Are Not Negotiated](/blog/wifi-data-rates-are-not-negotiated) — 2026-10-02: PHY data rates are not negociated between the client and the access point. For most transmissions, the device sending the frame selects a rate based on what it…
- [When the Wi-Fi Design Is Right but the AP Installation Is Wrong](/blog/when-the-wi-fi-design-is-right-but-the-ap-installation-is-wrong) — 2026-09-25: A predictive Wi-Fi design can be completely correct and still fail after installation.
- [What RTS/CTS Does Today](/blog/what-rts-cts-does-today) — 2026-09-18: RTS/CTS is often taught as a solution to the hidden-node problem. That is still true, but it is only one part of what these control frames do in a modern Wi-Fi…
- [PoE for Wi-Fi Explained](/blog/poe-for-wi-fi-explained) — 2026-09-11: PoE is one of those topics everyone assumes is solved. You plug the access point in, it powers up, the survey looks fine, and the project moves on. Then…
- [Why More Transmit Power Does Not Mean Better Wi-Fi](/blog/why-more-transmit-power-does-not-mean-better-wi-fi) — 2026-09-04: I get this question in almost every deployment: why not just run every access point at maximum transmit power?
- [MIMO Gain: The Part We Forget When We Set Transmit Power](/blog/mimo-gain-the-part-we-forget-when-we-set-transmit-power) — 2026-08-28: Last week I wrote about the difference between a 2x2:2 and a 4x4:4 access point. The discussion that followed was more interesting than the article itself, as…
- [What is the difference between a 2x2:2 AP and a 4x4:4 AP?](/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-a-2x2-2-ap-and-a-4x4-4-ap) — 2026-08-21: I get this question a lot in the field.
- [5150–5250 MHz: new outdoor & licensing rules](/blog/5150-5250-mhz-new-outdoor-licensing-rules) — 2026-05-18: The 5150–5250 MHz band contains channels 36, 40, 44 and 48. It is one of the most used bands in Wi-Fi networks. With the new version of RSS-247 (Issue 4, July…
- [5850-5895 MHz is now Wi-Fi spectrum in Canada](/blog/5850-5895-mhz-is-now-wi-fi-spectrum-in-canada) — 2026-05-18: The 5850–5895 MHz range was not part of Wi-Fi in Canada until recently. It was reserved for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and connected vehicle…
- [New 5 GHz Wi-Fi Regulations in Canada: What It Means for Wi-Fi Engineers](/blog/new-5-ghz-wi-fi-regulations-in-canada-what-it-means-for-wi-fi-engineers) — 2026-05-18: RSS-247 Issue 4 (July 2025) brings real changes to how Wi-Fi can be deployed in Canada. This post summarizes what you need to do, or stop doing, as a result.…
- [New DFS channels unlocked: 120, 124, 128](/blog/new-dfs-channels-unlocked-120-124-128) — 2026-05-18: For years, channels 120, 124 and 128 were off-limits in Canada. They sit in the 5600–5650 MHz range, right where Environment Canada operates weather radar. Any…
- [The Channel 144 & 169 Trap: When Bonded Channels Span Bands](/blog/the-channel-144-169-trap-when-bonded-channels-span-bands) — 2026-05-18: Two channels in the 5 GHz band deserve special attention: channel 144 and channel 169. Both sit at the boundary between two sub-bands, meaning part of their…
- [Updated 5 GHz Wi-Fi Regulations in Canada (RSS-247, July 2025)](/blog/updated-5-ghz-wi-fi-regulations-in-canada-rss-247-july-2025) — 2026-05-18: In July 2025, ISED published a new version of RSS-247. This document defines how Wi-Fi devices can operate in Canada. The changes are important and they affect…
- [Why 6 GHz Wi-Fi is Already Improving High Density Networks](/blog/why-6-ghz-wi-fi-is-already-improving-high-density-networks) — 2025-12-05: Walk into a university lecture hall just before class begins, and the scene is always the same. Students stream in, open laptops, pull out tablets, and connect…
- [Wi‑Fi Was a Branding Move Not Just a Technical Term](/blog/wi-fi-was-a-branding-move-not-a-technical-term) — 2025-08-15: If you’ve ever wondered where the name Wi‑Fi came from, you are not alone.
- [Out of Sight, Not Out of Range: Techniques for Hiding Wi-Fi](/blog/out-of-sight-not-out-of-range-techniques-for-hiding-wi-fi) — 2024-09-06: It might sound counterintuitive to want to hide Wi-Fi equipment. Indeed, we generally recommend installing Wi-Fi access points free of any obstructions to…
- [Wi-Fi in Higher Ed: A Guide to Capacity Planning](/blog/wi-fi-in-higher-ed-a-guide-to-capacity-planning) — 2024-06-17: Effective capacity planning in a higher educational environment is crucial for ensuring that resources are utilized efficiently and that students, faculty, and…
- [Wi-Fi 7 MCS Table](/blog/wi-fi-7-mcs-table) — 2023-10-24: A few years ago, I wrote a blog post titled "MCS Table Updated with 802.11ax Data Rates" which can be found here: link.The blog post discusses the new sets of…
- [WWC Toronto 2023 – Summary](/blog/wwc-toronto-2023-summary) — 2023-09-21: The World Wi-Fi Congress organized by Wi-Fi Now and held in Toronto showcased the latest developments in the Wi-Fi industry, highlighting the revolutionary…
- [Multi-threading vs Multi-processing programming in Python](/blog/multi-threading-vs-multi-processing-programming-in-python) — 2023-09-04: This post attempts to explain the difference between multi-threading and multi-processing in simple terms, and uses visualization to clarify the distinction.
- [Sequential vs Asynchronous programming in Python](/blog/sequential-vs-asynchronous-programming-in-python) — 2023-08-28: This blog post aims to compare sequential and asynchronous programming in Python and demonstrate how to convert a sequential program to an asynchronous one.
- [Mist AP SSID on/off with MicroController](/blog/mist-ap-ssid-on-off-with-microcontroller) — 2023-07-25: The idea behind this device is to provide a portable tool that allows you to stop the radios of a Mist Access Point.To make it more relatable, let's consider a…
- [How to Establish a Console Connection to a Juniper SRX with an AirConsole](/blog/how-to-establish-a-console-connection-to-a-juniper-srx-with-an-airconsole) — 2023-07-20: Juniper Networks is a leading provider of networking equipment and solutions for businesses of all sizes. One of their most popular products is the Juniper SRX…
- [How to Make a Raspberry Pi Pico Wi-Fi capable?](/blog/how-to-make-a-raspberry-pi-pico-wi-fi-capable) — 2023-05-04: Raspberry Pi Pico is a microcontroller board designed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It features the RP2040 microcontroller chip, which contains two ARM…
- [What’s in our APoS Kit?](/blog/whats-in-our-apos-kit) — 2023-04-07: APoS site surveys can be an essential part of designing and deploying Wi-Fi networks. To conduct a successful APoS site survey, you need the right equipment.…
- [An Introduction to MicroPython](/blog/an-introduction-to-micropython) — 2023-03-24: MicroPython is a software implementation of the Python 3 programming language that is optimized to run on microcontrollers and other resource-constrained…
- [BLE Advertisment channels](/blog/ble-advertisment-channels) — 2023-03-22: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a wireless communication technology that is gaining widespread adoption in various industries. BLE is a popular choice for…
- [Popular IoT Protocols](/blog/popular-iot-protocols-bluetooth-ble-zigbee-thread-lora-lorawan-lte-m) — 2023-03-21: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects such as sensors, actuators, and devices that are connected to the Internet. These devices…
- [The Use of Regular Expressions in Python](/blog/the-use-of-regular-expressions-in-python) — 2023-03-03: Regular expressions (regex) are a powerful tool for matching patterns in text. They can be used in Python to search, replace, and manipulate strings. In this…
- [Git 101: Starting a New Project with the Command Line](/blog/git-101-starting-a-new-project-with-the-command-line) — 2023-03-02: Git is a widely used version control system that allows developers to work together on a project efficiently. It is an essential tool for any developer, and…
- [WLPC Presentation – Wi-Fi DevOps](/blog/wlpc-presentation-wi-fi-devops) — 2022-10-25: This year, at the WLPC EU that took place in Prague, I had the opportunity to present about Wi-Fi DevOps.The title of my presentation was: Wi-Fi DevOps – The…
- [Wi-Fi Eavesdropping](/blog/wi-fi-eavesdropping) — 2022-08-26: 802.11 wireless networks operate in license-free frequency bands, and all data transmissions travel in the open air. Access to wireless transmissions is…
- [What is Wi-Fi DevOps?](/blog/what-is-wi-fi-devops) — 2022-07-03: DevOps is a pretty popular word in the networking industry right now. More and more tools allow for network automation and programmability. Slowly but surely,…
- [Electrical Box AP Installation](/blog/electrical-box-ap-installation) — 2022-02-25: Sometimes you need to lower down an access point “on a budget”. This video showcase how you can do it using an electrical box.
- [Oberon 1008-00-WH AP Bracket](/blog/oberon-1008-00-wh-ap-bracket) — 2022-02-25: This video presents the 1008-00-WH AP bracket from Oberon. It is a very nice, low-profile, 90˚ AP bracket that you can use to mount APs against vertical…
- [Oberon 1312-AM Modular AP Bracket](/blog/oberon-1312-am-modular-ap-bracket) — 2022-02-25: This video presents the 1312-AM bracket from Oberon. It is a very modular AP and antenna(s) bracket that allows us to install an AP with external antenna(s) in…
- [Oberon 900-HC AP Bracket](/blog/oberon-900-hc-ap-bracket) — 2022-02-25: This video presents the 900-HC AP bracket from Oberon. It is a very nice solution if you need to lower down your APs.
- [Ventev TW-HWM-C-CVR AP Bracket](/blog/ventev-tw-hwm-c-cvr-ap-bracket) — 2022-02-25: This video presents the TW-HWM-C-CVR AP bracket from Ventev. It is a very nice 90˚ angle AP bracket that we have used with multiple customers.
- [Calculate 802.11 Retry Rate with Wireshark](/blog/calculate-802-11-retry-rate-with-wireshark) — 2022-02-18: There are many broadcast and unicast messages between a user and an access point that the user has no idea about! So what if some of them fail while you are…
- [Make your macOS Terminal Cool](/blog/make-your-macos-terminal-cool) — 2022-02-02: The goal of this article is to setup your terminal in macOS to look like this:
- [Starting my Journey at SemFio](/blog/feeling-after-probation-in-semfio) — 2022-01-31: I, Amin Sedighfar, am writing this text after finishing my first few months at SemFio Networks.
- [Streaming Mist Location Data using the WebSocket API](/blog/streaming-mist-location-data-using-the-websocket-api) — 2021-09-08: I recently worked on a project where the customer was trying to track BLE asset tags using the Juniper/Mist location solution.I know that we can leverage the…
- [Python – Auto Rename Cable Notes in Ekahau](/blog/python-auto-rename-cable-notes-in-ekahau) — 2021-08-24: Naming cable notes in Ekahau is quite a manual process. You have to enter your note description at the end of drawing the cable note on the map.What I like to…
- [Ventev Co-Location Mount fo Cisco 9100 and Aruba 500 Series](/blog/ventev-co-location-mount) — 2021-08-24: For one of the project we are working on, we are planning on using a nice co-location mount from Ventev. It will allow us to install both an AP and an external…
- [6GHZ Free Space Path Loss](/blog/6ghz-free-space-path-loss) — 2021-07-20: We have wrote about Free Space Path Loss on this blog. Take a look at this article to understand what it is:…
- [Ekahau Template Reporting – Export Project Note Pictures](/blog/ekahau-template-reporting-export-project-note-pictures) — 2021-07-05: In this article, we will show how to export the project note pictures into our template reports.It seems like it would be something easy but it is actually a…
- [6GHz Regulations in Canada](/blog/6ghz-regulations-in-canada) — 2021-06-17: In Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) published a Consultation on the Technical and Policy Framework for Licence-Exempt Use in…
- [IEEE 802.11 Timeline – Update 2021](/blog/ieee-802-11-timeline-update-2021) — 2021-06-17: Same changes have been happening around the 802.11 standards lately, so the initial 802.11 timeline we had previously created was up for an update.Here is what…
- [FragAttacks – What do we need to do about it?](/blog/fragattack-what-do-we-need-to-do-about-it) — 2021-05-16: After KRACK (2017) and Dragonblood (2019), Mathy VanHoef found a new set of Wi-Fi vulnerabilities. The findings have been publicly released on May 11th, 2021…
- [API Call to Enable Mist AP Name Broadcast](/blog/api-call-to-enable-mist-ap-name-broadcast) — 2021-04-22: In this blog post, we will see how we can make a simple API Call to the Mist cloud in order to have all APs, supporting a Wi-Fi network, broadcast their name.
- [Python – Update AP Model Name in Ekahau](/blog/python-update-ap-model-name-in-ekahau) — 2020-07-28: When you change the type of external antenna used by an AP in Ekahau, the name of the AP model is not updated to reflect that new external antenna name:
- [Python – Auto-Populate Tag Values in Ekahau Pro](/blog/python-auto-populate-tag-values-in-ekahau-pro) — 2020-07-24: Ekahau released a new version (v10.2) last month. The best feature out of this new version (for me at least) is the ability to create personalized tags for AP…
- [Establish a Console Connection within a Python script with pySerial](/blog/establish-a-console-connection-within-a-python-script-with-pyserial) — 2020-07-15: I have been using the python library called pySerial and wanted to share how I made it work on my end.
- [Configure a Cisco IOS-XE AP for an APoS Site Survey using Python](/blog/configure-a-cisco-ios-xe-ap-for-an-apos-site-survey-using-python) — 2020-07-14: I wanted to play around and see how I could automate the process of preparing a Cisco AP for an APoS site survey. So I decided to try it out on a Catalyst 9120…
- [Analyze an API Call directly within your browser](/blog/analyze-an-api-call-directly-within-your-browser) — 2020-07-01: Modern internet browsers (such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox) are equipped with advanced developer tools. We can actually leverage some of these tools to take a…
- [Mist – API Call within a Python Script](/blog/mist-api-call-within-a-python-script) — 2020-03-16: In a first video, I explain everything you need to create your first API call to the Mist system dashboard. In order to make this API call, I use an…
- [Assessing the Wi-Fi Network of a Warehouse](/blog/assessing-the-wi-fi-network-of-a-warehouse) — 2020-02-05: In this article, we will talk about the important of assessing the Wi-Fi in a warehouse and talk about specificities brought by these type of environments.
- [Python – Extract AP Pictures from an Ekahau Project](/blog/python-extract-ap-pictures-from-an-ekahau-project) — 2020-02-02: When I perform Wi-Fi validation or Wi-Fi assessments, I like to take pictures of the access points and document it later. I also save these pictures and…
- [The 802.11ax Trigger Frame](/blog/the-80211ax-trigger-frame) — 2019-12-09: In 802.11ax communications, the trigger frame is used for multiple purposes. One of them is to allocate ressources for a specific multi-user OFDMA transmission.
- [Wireshark – Find out the data rate of an 802.11ax Data Frame](/blog/80211ax-packet-capture-find-out-the-data-rate-of-an-80211ax-data-frame) — 2019-12-07: As you know, all data rates are changing with 802.11ax, Hence, the new MCS table you can find here:…
- [Wi-Fi Design Day – Sydney](/blog/wi-fi-design-day-sydney) — 2019-12-06: I was invited to attend and present at the Wi-Fi Design Day in Sydney organized by Ekahau and Dicker Data. I would like to thank Grant, Antony, Darko and the…
- [WLAN Pi – Bridge Wi-Fi Hotspot to Ethernet Interface](/blog/wlan-pi-bridge-wi-fi-hotspot-to-ethernet-interface) — 2019-10-11: In my previous article, I was explaining how you could configure the WLAN Pi to be used in a hotspot mode. Following the article, the configurations have been…
- [802.11ax Remote Packet Captures using the Jetson Nano](/blog/80211ax-remote-packet-captures-using-the-jetson-nano) — 2019-10-09: This solution will allow you to perform remote 802.11ax packet capture from your own laptop using the Jetson Nano. The benefit of using the Jetson Nano (and…
- [Python – How to Connect to a Cisco WLC (Aireos)](/blog/python-how-to-connect-to-a-cisco-wlc-aireos) — 2019-07-25: This is a very simple article just explaining how you can connect to a Cisco WLC (aireos) using a python script.
- [WLAN Pi – Setup a Wi-Fi Hotspot](/blog/wlan-pi-setup-a-wi-fi-hotspot) — 2019-07-22: Thanks to Florent Lassia, we were able to configure the Wi-Fi NIC to bride to the Ethernet NIC. In the Hotspot mode, you can now have your Wi-Fi hotspot…
- [Setup Cisco Catalyst 9800 Controller On Your Laptop](/blog/setup-cisco-catalyst-9800-controller-on-your-laptop) — 2019-06-19: In this article, we will explain how to install the new Cisco Catalyst 9800-CL controller on a VM (under VMFusion) on macOS.
- [MCS Table (Updated with 802.11ax Data Rates)](/blog/mcs-table-updated-with-80211ax-data-rates) — 2019-04-11: This MCS table has been updated to include the 802.11be rates. Please visit this page to get access to the updated MCS table :…
- [Wi-Fi Security Timeline (2019)](/blog/wi-fi-security-timeline1385106) — 2019-04-02: A few years ago, I created a first Wi-Fi Security Timeline. With the new security improvements introduced last year, I thought it would be a good idea to…
- [My Wi-Fi Expectations and Wishes for 2019](/blog/my-wi-fi-expectations-and-wishes-for-2019) — 2019-01-13: I am really excited about 2019. The Wi-Fi technology is always evolving, bringing new challenges along the way. And this year is no exception. I am looking…
- [5GHz Regulations in Canada (2018 Update)](/blog/5ghz-regulations-in-canada-2018-update) — 2018-12-28: UPDATE – July 2025: ISED has updated their radio standards specifications for Wi-Fi equipments operating in the 5GHz frequency band. Check out this article to…
- [Finding our Purpose Working as a Wi-Fi Engineer](/blog/finding-our-purpose-working-as-a-wi-fi-engineer) — 2018-11-12: It feels good to be able to do what you like, it feels even better when there is a purpose in doing it. That is often something I ask myself when working on…
- [The State of 6GHz in Canada](/blog/the-state-of-6ghz-in-canada) — 2018-11-03: In may 2020, the FCC officially announced that the 6GHz frequency space will be available for unlicensed use in the US. We have contacted ISED in order to know…
- [DFS Operations Infographic](/blog/dfs-operations-infographic) — 2018-08-07: This infographic was inspired by the work of Nigel Bowden and Devin Akin. Nigel wrote this really good article on DFS that you can find on his website…
- [Retrieving the Scale from a CAD File in AutoCAD](/blog/retrieving-the-scale-from-a-cad-file-in-autocad) — 2018-05-25: This is a video showing you how to retrieve the scale of a floor plan in AutoCAD in order to scale it in Ekahau.
- [Preparing Floor Plans for Ekahau in AutoCAD](/blog/preparing-floor-plans-for-ekahau-in-autocad) — 2018-05-04: Floor plans are very important for us WLAN professionals. We need them to do our designs and surveys. Sometimes, the quality of the floor plans we receive from…
- [Free Space Path Loss Diagrams](/blog/free-space-path-loss-diagrams) — 2018-04-01: Free Space Path Loss (or FSPL) represents the amount of energy that a given radio wave loses as it travels through the air away from its source. Understanding…
- [Talking Warehouse Wi-Fi at WLPC](/blog/talking-warehouse-wi-fi-at-wlpc) — 2018-03-10: This year WLPC was another great event. If you missed it and would like a recap, listen to the ClearToSend podcast episode #111 Rowell and I recorded.
- [Aruba Controller Upgrade Checklist](/blog/aruba-controller-upgrade-checklist) — 2018-01-22: This blog article describe the process of upgrading an Aruba controller. It provide a checklist of tasks to perform in order to prepare, perform and validate…
- [Convert a Cisco CAPWAP AP to a Mobility Express AP](/blog/convert-a-cisco-capwap-ap-to-a-mobility-express-ap) — 2017-12-15: This article will explains how to convert a CAPWAP AP to a Cisco Mobility Express AP. The AP model used as an example in this article is a Cisco Aironet 2802i.
- [Configure a Cisco Mobility Express AP for an APoS Site Survey](/blog/configure-a-cisco-mobility-express-ap-for-an-apos-site-survey) — 2017-11-23: This article explains how to configure a Cisco Mobility Express AP for an AP-on-a-Stick site survey using the CLI (Command Line Interface). It is also possible…
- [IEEE 802.11 Standards & Amendments Timeline](/blog/ieee-80211-standards-amendments-timeline) — 2017-10-30: Visiting the IEEE website, we can find the details about the IEEE 802.11 standards and amendments displayed on a table:…
- [The 2017 Magic Quadrant is out!](/blog/the-2017-magic-quadrant-is-out) — 2017-10-24: The Magic Quadrant for the Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure has been released by Gartner on October 17th:
- [Fully understand KRACK in 2h](/blog/fully-understand-krack-in-2h) — 2017-10-18: These are a series of videos and documents which will help you to technically understand KRACK. All you need is about 2 hours.
- [KRACK – Is it the end of WPA2?](/blog/krack-is-it-the-end-of-wpa2) — 2017-10-16: By now you have probably heard that some WPA2 vulnerabilities have been discovered and made available to the public by Mathy Vanhoel on www.krackattacks.com.…
- [60GHz Regulations in Canada](/blog/60ghz-regulations-in-canada) — 2017-09-07: Wi-Fi, as most of us know, operates on the 2.4GHz or 5 GHz band. But there are, actually, others 802.11 protocols utilizing other frequency bands (900MHz,…
- [Reference Sheet – ArubaOS Most Useful Commands](/blog/reference-sheet-arubaos-most-useful-commands) — 2017-05-19: A while back, I worked on a reference sheet on the most useful Cisco AireOS commands. It was well received and Cédric Terrier from WattisWiFi contacted me to…
- [RWN: Introduction to Wi-Fi – Free Videos](/blog/rwn-introduction-to-wi-fi-free-videos) — 2017-05-13: Wifitraining.com is offering a series of videos, in which I participated, called Rockstar Wireless Networking (RWN) introducing the Wi-Fi technology. Please…
- [Wireshark: How to check if a Wi-Fi network supports 802.11k](/blog/wireshark-how-to-check-if-a-wi-fi-network-supports-80211k) — 2017-04-01: Today’s exercice is simple: study the beacon frame and try to figure out what characteristics of the Wi-Fi network are advertised.
- [How to check if a client device supports 802.11v](/blog/how-to-check-if-a-client-device-supports-80211v) — 2017-02-05: This post is directly related to the following previous article: "Wireshark: How to check it a Wi-Fi Network Supports 802.11v".
- [Wireshark: How to check if a Wi-Fi network supports 802.11v](/blog/wireshark-how-to-check-if-a-wi-fi-network-supports-80211v) — 2017-01-24: Today's exercice is simple: study the beacon frame and try to figure out what characteristics of the Wi-Fi network are advertised.
- [Reference Guide – Cisco AireOS Most Useful Commands](/blog/cisco-aireos-most-useful-commands) — 2016-11-09: I usually support and configure Cisco wireless networks using the GUI. However, the CLI is sometimes required to perform some troubleshooting or configuration…
- [How to get ready to validate a Wi-Fi infrastructure](/blog/how-to-get-ready-to-validate-a-wi-fi-infrastructure) — 2016-09-12: I first wanted to call this article "How to get ready for a validation survey". However, following the talk from Jake's blog post on the importance of…
- [Motion Detection System creating Interesting Interference](/blog/motion-detection-system-creating-interesting-interference) — 2016-09-07: If you are like me and you love interference stories, this is one of them! I came across this interesting interference while I was performing an assessment for…
- [Interference that looks like Wi-Fi but is not (Televic Conference System)](/blog/interference-that-looks-like-wi-fi-but-is-not-televic-conference-system) — 2016-05-24: Performing a spectrum analysis for one of my customer last week, I discovered a funny interference I wanted to share with you. The interference was found in a…
- [Site Survey Tip #2](/blog/site-survey-tip-2) — 2016-05-05: Performing site surveys can sometimes be a long and repetitive task. I have been thinking of putting some tips/jokes together to help other WLAN pros make it…
- [Easily use AirConsole on MacOS X](/blog/easily-use-airconsole-on-macosx) — 2016-04-07: I have recently purchased a AirConsole unit from www.get-console.com. The delivery was fast. Unfortunately the setup was not as smooth as I would have thought.…
- [Use built in MAC OS FTP Server to export Cisco WLC configuration](/blog/use-built-in-mac-os-ftp-server-to-export-cisco-wlc-configuration) — 2016-03-15: Working with Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers, it is sometimes needed to save and export the configuration into a text file format. It could be needed for backup…
- [Co-Channel Contention (CCC) explained with simple drawings](/blog/co-channel-contention-ccc-explained-with-simple-drawings) — 2016-03-01: I came across some documentation I have made and I was explaining how Co-Channel Contention can have a bad impact on airtime using simple drawing. I thought I…
- [Site Survey Tip #1](/blog/site-survey-tip-1) — 2016-02-21: Performing site surveys can sometimes be a long and repetitive task. I have been thinking of putting some tips/jokes together to help other WLAN pros make it…
- [Setup FreeRADIUS on Kali Linux for 802.1X Authentication](/blog/setup-freeradius-on-kali-linux-for-8021x-authentication) — 2015-12-05: This following video explains how to setup a FreeRADIUS server on Kali Linux. The objective is to use the FreeRADIUS server as an 802.1X authentication server…
- [Wireshark – Most Common 802.11 Display Filters](/blog/wireshark-most-common-80211-filters) — 2015-11-25: I often use Wireshark as my go to packet analyzer. I like it but I feel like I always forget what the display filters are. So I always find myself searching…
- [Site Survey – Labelling AP’s location on ceiling without a stepladder](/blog/site-survey-labelling-aps-location-on-ceilings-without-a-stepladder) — 2015-11-10: This is a quick post sharing a technique that I use when I need to label AP location on ceilings while performing a site survey. I don't really like using…
- [“Problem” is not a negative word](/blog/problem-is-not-a-negative-word) — 2015-11-09: When I was a kid, one of my teacher was always telling us "There is no problem, there are only solutions". I think he wanted us to stop complaining about our…
- [Citywide Site Survey using TamoGraph](/blog/city-wide-site-survey-using-tamograph) — 2015-09-29: I recently had the opportunity to perform a large site survey. It was a lot of fun and a little out of the ordinary. I am writing this little blog article to…
- [Industry Canada new 5GHz band regulations](/blog/industry-canada-new-5ghz-band-regulations) — 2015-08-19: UPDATE – July 2025: ISED has updated their radio standards specifications for Wi-Fi equipments operating in the 5GHz frequency band. Check out this article to…
- [Wireshark: How to check if a data frame is sent using 802.11n](/blog/wireshark-how-to-check-if-a-data-frame-is-sent-using-80211n) — 2015-04-14: Studying for the CWAP exam, I was using Wireshark and wondering how to see if the traffic (data frames) I was capturing was using HT (or 802.11n). So this…
- [We are TechAlliance’s Spotlight of the month!](/blog/we-are-techalliances-spotlight-of-the-month) — 2015-02-09: TechAlliance has a program where they interview one of their members every month. I am honoured to be the spotlight for the month of February 2015. I would…
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible S02E01 – Omnidirectionnal Antennas](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-s02e01-omnidirectionnal-antennas) — 2015-01-19: Welcome to season 2 of "Make Wi-Fi Visible"! Previously in season 1, we presented radio frequency features using light analogies. In this new season, we are…
- [Wi-Fi Security Timeline](/blog/wi-fi-security-timeline) — 2015-01-08: Here is a timeline concerning important standards and protocols related to Wi-Fi security. (Click for full size image)
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible – Season 1 Recap](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-season-1-recap) — 2014-12-31: As 2014 is ending today, this makes it the perfect day to do a recap of the first season of Make Wi-Fi Visible. This series of articles is aimed to explain…
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible #6 – Radio Frequency Absorption](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-6-radio-frequency-absorption) — 2014-12-27: As we all know, Wi-Fi is amazing. The only thing is… it’s invisible.
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible #5 – Radio Frequency Scattering](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-5-radio-frequency-scattering) — 2014-12-12: As we all know, Wi-Fi is amazing. The only thing is… it’s invisible.
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible #4 – Radio Frequency Diffraction](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-4-radio-frequency-diffraction) — 2014-11-03: As we all know, Wi-Fi is amazing. The only thing is… it’s invisible.
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible #3 – Radio Frequency Refraction](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-3-radio-frequency-refraction) — 2014-10-26: As we all know, Wi-Fi is amazing. The only thing is… it’s invisible.
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible #2 – Radio Frequency Reflection](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-2-radio-frequency-reflection) — 2014-10-18: As we all know, Wi-Fi is amazing. The only thing is… it’s invisible.
- [Make Wi-Fi Visible #1 – Radio Frequency Propagation](/blog/make-wi-fi-visible-1-radio-frequency-propagation) — 2014-10-10: As we all know, Wi-Fi is amazing. The only thing is… it’s invisible.
- [Top 5 reasons why business owners need to provide Free Wi-Fi to their customers](/blog/top-5-reasons-why-business-owners-need-to-provide-free-wi-fi-to-their-customers) — 2014-09-02: Talking to a lot of small and medium business owners, they often tell me that they don’t really see any need in proposing free Wi-Fi to their customers. It…
- [5GHz Band Channel Availability in Canada](/blog/5ghz-band-channel-availability-in-canada) — 2014-08-05: UPDATE – December 2018: Industry Canada has updated their radio standards specifications for Wi-Fi equipments operating in the 5GHz frequency band. Check out…

## Tools

- [Wi-Fi MCS Index](/tools/mcs-index): Interactive MCS index table with every 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax and 802.11be data rate, computed from the PHY formula. Filter by Wi-Fi standard, channel width, spatial streams, guard interval and MCS; export to CSV or PDF.
- [Free Space Path Loss](/tools/fspl): Interactive free space path loss chart for Wi-Fi. See what a 2.4, 5 or 6 GHz signal loses at any distance, add walls and move them, set the AP transmit power and antenna gain, and read the resulting signal level in dBm.

## Pages (French / français)

Le site est offert en français sous /fr. SemFio Networks est un cabinet d'ingénierie Wi-Fi spécialisé dans les environnements complexes. Uniquement des ingénieurs seniors, deux CWNE, moins de projets à un standard plus élevé.

- [SemFio Networks — Ingénierie Wi-Fi pour environnements complexes](/fr)
- [À propos — SemFio Networks](/fr/about)
- [Services — SemFio Networks](/fr/services)
- [Blog — SemFio Networks](/blog)
- [Réservez une consultation Wi-Fi gratuite — SemFio Networks](/fr/contact)
- [Politique de confidentialité — SemFio Networks](/fr/privacy)
- [Wi-Fi pour l'enseignement supérieur — SemFio Networks](/fr/verticals/higher-education)
- [Wi-Fi pour le secteur de la santé — SemFio Networks](/fr/verticals/healthcare)
- [Wi-Fi pour l'industrie et la logistique — SemFio Networks](/fr/verticals/manufacturing-warehousing)
- [Wi-Fi pour le commerce de détail — SemFio Networks](/fr/verticals/retail)
- [Wi-Fi pour stades et arenas — SemFio Networks](/fr/verticals/large-public-venues)
- [Wi-Fi pour aéroports, transport et hôtellerie — SemFio Networks](/fr/verticals/travel)

## Frequently asked questions

### What does SemFio Networks do?

SemFio Networks is a Wi-Fi engineering firm. We design wireless networks, run predictive and on-site surveys, validate that deployed networks meet their requirements, troubleshoot problems that have resisted other attempts, review designs and vendor proposals independently, and train internal teams.

### When should a company bring in a Wi-Fi specialist instead of using its own team or integrator?

When the environment is physically difficult for RF, when applications have strict requirements such as real-time voice, medical telemetry or high-speed roaming, when a deployment has already been attempted and is underperforming, or when the cost of an outage or a rebuild is higher than the cost of specialist engineering.

### What is a CWNE and why does it matter?

CWNE (Certified Wireless Network Expert) is the highest certification in the Wi-Fi industry. It requires documented enterprise design and troubleshooting experience in addition to written exams, and only a few hundred people worldwide hold it. SemFio Networks has two CWNEs, and they perform the engineering work themselves.

### Is SemFio Networks tied to a particular Wi-Fi vendor?

No. The firm is vendor-neutral and works across the major enterprise Wi-Fi platforms, recommending what fits the environment and the requirements rather than a fixed product line.

### What is the difference between a predictive design and a site survey?

A predictive design models coverage and capacity from floor plans and material properties, before anything is installed. A site survey takes real measurements in the building — either to calibrate a design beforehand or to validate afterwards that a deployed network meets its requirements. Complex environments usually need both.

### Can you review a design or vendor proposal we already have?

Yes. Advisory and design review is an independent senior review of an existing design, a vendor proposal or an RFP response, delivered before budget is committed. It typically covers capacity assumptions, AP and antenna selection, channel and power planning, and whether the stated requirements are actually met.

### Do you install equipment as well?

No. SemFio Networks is an engineering firm, not an installer or a reseller. We produce designs, measurements and documentation your team or your cabling and installation partner can build from, then we validate the result.

### What do you need from us to start a Wi-Fi design?

Usually: floor plans, a description of the applications and devices that must work, client types and expected device density, details of the existing network and controllers, and any cabling, power and mounting constraints. If some of that is unknown, defining it is part of the engagement.

## Contact

Book a free Wi-Fi consultation: /contact