DAS and Wifi survey
In order to further procrastinate from the job in hand, I thought I would write a quick blog about it and ask for pointers from anyone that has done something similar.
I have been given the responsibility for managing the tender, survey and installation of a new campus wide DAS (mobile phone coverage) and wifi system for the hospital’s existing buildings. We have been given 5 weeks to survey the hospital, given that most of the drawings are sub-optimal (see link below for a wonderful example of what I am working with) the survey will also involve an architect’s surveyor to update existing drawings or generate new ones.
We have 122,000m2 to survey and 25 days to complete it, therefore we have to maintain a rate of approx 5000m2 per day, inside a live hospital just to keep to the original timetable. Add on top a PM who wants to complete everything early.
Whilst this should be a “great learning opportunity” and will cover all sorts of IMechE competencies from design to QA to financial it is starting out as a bit of a head-ache due to all the unknown-unknowns.
In order to help expose some of these unknowns, a bit of assistance would be great. What else should I be considering whilst planning the survey stage:
- Low hanging fruit to get ahead of schedule e.g. corridors, open spaces, offices.
- Restricted access areas that will delay timetable.
- Areas that don’t need DAS and/or wifi which can be ignored.
- Asbestos and hazardous substances.
- Access/working at height.
Thanks in advance for the help….
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
identify areas that are likely to be locked and find out where the keys are held and who can access them. Be absolutely clear what issues you are surveying the areas for and produce a template check list so you get consistent data to work with as the output from the survey. This could include the presence of equipment that may be adversely affected by the installation of wifi, power availability, screening of signals that reduce the expected range of the routers etc. If you are working as a team, normal pre briefing and coordinating instruction rules apply.
James, I would ask the guy who sits next to me (he’s responsible for all AV, ICT, COMMS, etc…throughout the whole project) – ideal POC. However this same guy designed the stadiums permanent alarm ‘speakers’ to be fixed to the tower cranes. Hahaha!
I’ll see what value he can add.