Surveying Wi-Fi and AP Layout

Practical guidance on how many access points a site needs and where to place them, before committing to a full RF site survey.

Deployment Updated July 30, 2025

How many APs does a site need?

The number of access points needed at a customer site depends on two things: square footage and the building’s construction.

For a normal single-level office with drywall and wood interior walls, the rule of thumb is one AP per 2,000 sq. ft, or per 25 devices — whichever is lower. For buildings made of masonry, concrete block, or with multiple floors, the AP count goes up to maintain coverage and signal strength through the denser walls and across the additional levels.

It is genuinely difficult to predict the right number of APs for a given site without a proper RF site survey, which is a time-consuming exercise. That said, the guidance below — built up from years of partner deployments — gets most sites close enough on the first pass.

AP placement

For an open-plan office with drywall partitions, the optimal separation between APs is usually 20 to 30 feet. The right number depends heavily on:

  • the density of client devices (a 25-person bullpen needs more coverage than a 25-office corridor)
  • the construction material of the walls and floors
  • the position of large RF absorbers (server racks, filing cabinets, refrigerators, lift shafts)

For large open spaces — warehouses, conference centres, or big-box retail — Uplevel’s outdoor APs are sometimes the better choice even when used indoors. They have higher transmit power and high-gain antennas that cover a much larger footprint than the indoor models.

When to do a full survey

Skip the rule-of-thumb count and commission a proper site survey when:

  • The building has unusual construction (concrete tilt-up walls, metal cladding, foil-backed insulation).
  • The site spans multiple floors with non-aligned stairwells.
  • The customer has dense client populations (200+ devices per AP would otherwise be implied).
  • The deployment is in a regulated environment (healthcare, payment card areas) where coverage gaps create compliance risk.

Related articles

  • UAP-101 Mounting Diagram
  • High-Gain Wi-Fi Antennas for Outdoor APs
  • Moving Switches or APs Between Sites
  • Removing an AP from a Customer’s Portal