How to read the Radio Frequency map?

The Radio Frequency Topology visualizes the wireless environment surrounding your network. This article explains how to read the Radio Frequency map. For a general overview about Radio Frequency topology, please refer to this article.

To access the Radio Frequency Topology, you need to:

1. Log into the Plasma Cloud console;
2. Select the Organisation and Network of interest from the top right menu;
3. Navigate to Topology > Radio Frequency in the main menu on the left.

Once you have reached the Radio Frequency topology page, your network map with each Access Point represented by a map marker will be shown.

WiFi Band Tabs

The WiFi Band tabs above the map allow you to switch between the various frequency ranges. Which WiFi band tabs available for selection depends on the Access Point capabilities within the active network.

Device Map Markers

Device map markers can come in different colors and shapes to represent the various operational states and channel configuration of your Access Points.

Background Color

The background color of the map marker signifies the current device status:

• Blue: online device
• Red: offline device
• White with WiFi disabled icon: WiFi radio disabled on the selected WiFi band

Devices with a disabled WiFi radio can still perform regular RF scans on the impacted WiFi band.

Marker Text

Each map marker highlights the occupied channel range based on the channel and channel width configuration. For example, "Ch: 3 ~ 7" indicates that the Access Point operates on channels 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in the 2.4 GHz band. 

When switching tabs to another WiFi band (e.g. from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz), the channel information inside the map markers will be updated.

For models equipped with two 5 GHz radios, like the PA2200, the channel information will be provided for both WiFi radios, separated by a comma. For example, "Ch: 36 ~ 48, 149 ~ 161" signifies that the first 5 GHz radio uses channels 36 - 48, while the second 5 GHz radio uses channels 149 - 161.

A marker displaying "N/A" indicates missing channel & channel width reporting. This typically occurs with new devices before a cloud connection is established, or devices that have been offline for a long time.

Device locations cannot be modified on the Radio frequency map. If you'd like to move device markers, please do so on the Overview Page as described in this article.