Adding more access points usually makes coverage worse. Here's what a real Wi-Fi survey looks for, and why placement beats power every time.
Almost every office Wi-Fi complaint we're called out to has the same root cause, and it isn't the router. It's co-channel interference caused by too many access points shouting at each other on the same frequency.
The instinct that makes it worse
When coverage is poor, the obvious fix is more access points at higher power. In a 2.4GHz band with only three non-overlapping channels, that guarantees every AP is now competing with its neighbours. Devices see a strong signal, connect, and then wait their turn to transmit. Users experience this as "full bars but nothing loads" — the most common complaint we receive.
What a survey actually measures
- Signal strength at desk height, not ceiling height — bodies absorb 2.4GHz surprisingly well.
- Signal-to-noise ratio, which matters far more than raw signal.
- Channel utilisation, including neighbouring businesses you share a wall with.
- Client capability — half the estate being 2.4GHz-only changes the whole design.
The fix is usually fewer APs, tuned properly
Lower transmit power, more aggressive band steering, and 20MHz channel widths on 2.4GHz. It feels counterintuitive to turn things down, but it consistently produces better throughput than turning things up.
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