atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums VOIP Phones & IP PBX Networking Broadband Solution for Large area

If they customer insists on going cheap, run away.

The site survey is important, infact it will be the most important thing. If you want wifi outside, and also inside metal walled structures, you will need to have access points inside as well as out and you may get some leakage between them, but I wouldn't count on it.

For an effective site survey, you need not only the software detecting a signal, but an understanding of how 2.4Ghz propagates. You also need to understand about antenna types and placement and how those affect signal received. For instance If you do your site survey only with a high power wireless card and netstumbler you will get a false expectation of coverage area.

Your 1000' dimension is the free space maximum for 802.11b but switching to 802.11g and 802.11n will change that despite what the marketing on the box claims. Also the more wireless devices (expected client density) you try to attach to the cheaper products will impact the connection quality at the farther reaches of the area. Then there is the wonderful fact that anyone at all can put up an access point that may cause a conflict with the radio space you have chosen. There is no remediation requirement when Part 15 devices collide. Not to mention the fun things that happen around other devices like poorly shielded commercial microwave ovens.