Overview
As our Bitberry family of devices require WIFI coverage to operate effectively, it's important to conduct a WIFI Network Survey of your facilities during your implementation and prior to fitting devices at each location that requires barcode scanning (Scanning Location). This will provide you with the data you need to address any gaps in your facilities' WIFI network. The scanning locations required will be identified during the scoping phase of your implementation.
The WIFI Network Survey steps:
- Set up an example of each device you will be deploying on the relevant WIFI network (Test Devices)
- Ensure you have the correct IP Address for each test device
- Connect a WIFI enabled Laptop to the relevant network
- Power up the test devices at each scanning location
- Perform a Ping test on each test device and record an average in a Test Table.
We also recommend you perform a WIFI Network Survey both during factory operating hours and when the factory is idle to help identify sources of machine interference.
Test Device Setup
On arriving at site, ensure the test devices are setup on the relevant WIFI Network (or wired LAN if required for BitConnect).
Locate the IP Address for your Device(s)
In order to test the connectivity of each device on your network, you'll need to identify the IP Address of each test device.
Once setup, the Bitberry BitScan family of devices list their IP Addresses conveniently on their primary display, but for some of our other devices, like the BitConnect, use your organisation's recommended method to locate your device's IP address. If you haven't already, take this opportunity to reserve the Device's IP Address on your network.
Prepare a Test Table
Prepare a table to record the results of the tests at each machine. Ideally you'd want two sets of tables. One to record tests when the factory is idle and another during full operation.
Example Table
| Machine |
Device #1 (eg. Bitscan) |
Average Ping Response (msec) |
Device #2 (eg. BitConnect) |
Average Ping Response (msec) |
| Machine #1 |
OK or FAIL |
## |
OK or FAIL |
## |
| Machine #2 |
OK or FAIL |
## |
OK or FAIL |
## |
Running the Test
1. Power on your test devices from each scanning location in your facility. Make note of any power or maintenance issues that need to be addressed prior to fitting the required device(s) eg. Additional GPOs required, any faults with GPOs or supplied power, security concerns or considerations for mounting scanning devices.
2. From a laptop connected to the same network as the device you are testing, open a terminal window for each device.
Windows - Open the Start menu and search for the Command Prompt app. Repeat for each device in the test.
3. From the command prompt, enter the ping command for each device as follows:
ping [IP Address] [-t] [-l ####]
-t Ping the specified host until stopped.
To stop - type Control-C.
-l size Send buffer size.
Example for simple devices like the BitScan
BitScan is a proven instant up device. A 1kb ping packet will be sufficient.
eg. ping 10.1.66.140 -t -l 1024
Example for more complex devices like the BitConnect
BitConnect can handle multiple connections simultaneously, requiring additional start up and registration time. We recommend an 8kb ping packet to test it's higher bandwidth requirements. Reduce to 4kb if you are experiencing timeouts across your network.
eg. ping 10.1.66.163 -t -l 8192
Example Ping Tests
4. If you see a constant stream of positive ping responses, enter OK against your device in the table. If the device is not found, enter FAIL against the device.
5. After watching the responses for a time, average the time=#ms response from each devices' ping response and enter them into your table where appropriate.
6. Move to the next machine/location and repeat the test from step 1.
Simon Gray
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