Ekahau Sidekick for Active and Passive Surveys

eNeoteric — Authorised Ekahau Partner India

Need Ekahau Sidekick 2 or a professional wireless survey?

eNeoteric is an authorised Ekahau distributor in India — we supply genuine Sidekick 2 hardware with manufacturer warranty and use it on every site survey we run. ECSE-certified engineers, fixed-price proposals, full deliverables including RSSI/SNR heatmaps and AP placement drawings.

Technical Guide: Ekahau Sidekick for Active and Passive Surveys

A wireless site survey is the foundation of any reliable enterprise WiFi deployment. Ekahau Sidekick for Active and Passive Surveys determines whether the network will meet coverage, capacity, and roaming targets before hardware is installed — or validates that an existing deployment meets requirements. The three main survey types — predictive, passive, and active — serve different purposes and are used at different project stages.

Ekahau's toolset (AI Pro for predictive design, Sidekick 2 for RF measurement, Survey for passive/active capture, and Analyzer for packet analysis) has become the industry standard for professional WiFi site surveys. ECSE-certified engineers follow a structured methodology: requirements gathering, floor plan calibration, AP placement modelling, on-site measurement, and deliverable generation. The output — heatmaps, AP bills of material, channel plans, and coverage reports — directly feeds into procurement and deployment.

Passive Wireless Site Survey

A passive survey captures the RF environment without connecting to any network. The surveyor walks the target area with a measurement device (Ekahau Sidekick 2 + laptop running Ekahau Survey) while the software records signal strength (RSSI), noise floor, channel utilisation, co-channel interference, and detected APs at each location point. The result is a set of heatmaps showing the actual RF conditions across the floor.

Passive surveys are used for two purposes: pre-deployment (measuring the existing RF environment before a new WiFi installation) and post-deployment (validating that the installed network meets coverage targets). Walk paths should follow a grid pattern covering all areas including corridors, stairwells, and meeting rooms. Mark survey points every 5–7 metres for adequate resolution. The surveyor should note environmental factors — furniture, partitions, equipment — that may change over time and affect RF propagation.

Ekahau Product Suite for WiFi Professionals

Ekahau provides an integrated toolset for the complete WiFi lifecycle. Ekahau AI Pro handles predictive design with automated AP placement, wall material modelling, and coverage simulation. Ekahau Sidekick 2 is a dedicated hardware spectrum analyzer and WiFi scanner that plugs into the survey laptop for accurate passive and active measurements. Ekahau Survey captures on-site data and generates heatmaps and reports. Ekahau Analyzer provides real-time 802.11 frame analysis for troubleshooting.

Additional products include Ekahau Cloud for team collaboration on projects, Ekahau Optimizer for channel and power plan automation, and Ekahau Private 5G for modelling private cellular coverage alongside WiFi. The ECSE (Ekahau Certified Solutions Engineer) certification validates proficiency with the toolset — covering design methodology, survey techniques, and report generation. As an Ekahau authorised partner in India, eNeoteric provides the full product suite, ECSE training, and professional survey services.

Site survey methodology and India-specific considerations

Sidekick 2 data collection is one stage in a larger structured methodology — requirements gathering, floor plan preparation, predictive design, on-site passive survey, active survey, analysis and reporting, and post-deployment validation. See our Ekahau survey methodology guide for the full step-by-step breakdown, plus India-specific considerations: RCC construction, glass facades, multi-tenant risers, and typical pricing (₹15,000–₹2,00,000+ depending on site size and scope).

Ekahau Sidekick 1 vs Sidekick 2

The original Ekahau Sidekick (ESK 1) introduced dedicated spectrum-analysis hardware for Ekahau surveys — dual radios plus a spectrum analyzer in a single USB device. Sidekick 2, the current generation, adds Wi-Fi 6E/7 support, faster dual-band scanning, and improved battery life. eNeoteric supplies genuine Sidekick 2 hardware and can advise on migrating from an ESK 1 unit for organisations still running the original device.

Ekahau Sidekick 2 hardware specifications

For full Sidekick 2 hardware specifications — tri-band capture, LED status meanings, and account/licence activation — see Ekahau Sidekick 2 Available in India, which covers the device in detail alongside authorised-partner stock and warranty terms.

Ekahau surveys with third-party AP vendors — MikroTik, Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus

Ekahau Sidekick 2 and Ekahau Survey are vendor-agnostic site survey tools — the passive RF capture, active throughput testing, and heatmap methodology are identical regardless of which AP vendor is deployed. For MikroTik networks in particular: connect the survey laptop to the MikroTik SSID, confirm band steering is routing the test client to 5 GHz (or 6 GHz for Wi-Fi 6E deployments), and check that CAPsMAN client-isolation rules do not block UDP — Ekahau's active throughput test uses UDP by default. Set MikroTik's roaming threshold (signal-threshold and disconnect-timeout) to match the roaming handoff window you intend to validate. eNeoteric performs Ekahau-based surveys across Cisco Catalyst, Aruba, Juniper Mist, MikroTik, Ruckus, and TP-Link Omada deployments with no change to the core survey methodology or deliverable set.

Ekahau for RTLS and Real-Time Location Tracking (Ortung)

Beyond site surveys, Ekahau's platform supports real-time location system (RTLS) use cases — tracking tagged assets, equipment, or personnel over the deployed Wi-Fi infrastructure. Accurate RTLS depends on the same RF design fundamentals as a good site survey: sufficient AP density, calibrated heatmaps, and validated coverage. eNeoteric's Ekahau surveys double as the groundwork for RTLS (Ortung) deployments in hospitals, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities.

We deliver related wireless site survey and Ekahau AI Pro across India — from network surveys and wireless site surveys to security and VAPT, managed services and cloud. For a tailored proposal or to discuss your requirements, use the contact options below.