What is the Network Operation Center (NOC)

Overview –

Network Operations Center or NOC (pronounced "knock"), is a centralized location where IT technicians directly support the efforts of remote management and monitoring software (RMM). 

NOC equipment is widely used in the IT managed services space and a tremendous service delivery controller for many MSPs (managed service providers).

These technical teams closely monitor the endpoints they control and manage, solve problems independently, and take preventive measures to ensure that many issues do not occur. NOC teams are also heavily involved in high-level security actions and disaster recovery and support (BDR) efforts, ensuring 24x7x365 uptime for MSP customers.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a NOC technician –

NOC engineers and technicians are responsible for monitoring the health, safety, and capability of the infrastructure in the customer environment. They make decisions and adjustments to ensure optimal performance of the network and productivity of the organization.

When an MSP action or intervention is needed, NOC technicians can create notices (or "handouts") that identify and classify the problem according to severity, type of alert, and other criteria. Depending on the relationship between NOC and MSP, technical teams can work together to resolve the problem (and identify its root cause to prevent future issues).

Technicians are classified into "levels," which indicate the severity and difficulty of the problems they face. The levels are numbered 1 (more comfortable to solve, small problems) and increase the capacity of more sophisticated computer problems. For example, in the event of a device failure, an alarm can first be assigned to a level 1 technician. However, after a more thorough inspection, if the problem exceeds the hardware failure, the ticket can be passed to a level 2 or level 3 technician.

What is a Network NOC technicians are always investigating abnormal network activities, making technical adjustments, and can take advantage of extensive resources, some of which are just home IT services, to respond to emergencies.

• ·         Application software installations, troubleshooting, and updating
• ·         Mail management services
• ·         Backup and storage management
• ·         Network discovery and assessments
• ·         Application of policies
• ·         Firewall and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) monitoring and management
• ·         Antivirus scan and fix
• ·         Patch management and whitelist
• ·         Analysis of shared threats
• ·         Optimization and reporting of quality of service
• ·         Voice and video traffic management
• ·         Performance reports and recommendations for improvement

Best Wireless Network Site Surveys & WiFi Heat Map Software and Tools

Wireless Site Survey Software - Have you noticed that the speed of your WiFi the connection is not the same at home or in the office?

Well, this is because of your WiFi Site Survey signals are usually blocked by extensive infrastructures, such as walls or furniture. This is why some parts of your home have a good connection, while others often see broken relationships and reduced speeds.

Some zones are inactive signal zones and you cannot access your Wi-Fi in these zones. As a user, you will have to guess a lot of things to know which areas are dead signals to avoid them altogether. It is time-consuming and often frustrating too.

So how can you overcome this problem?

A WiFi Heat Map Software is an excellent place to start, as it shows the coverage and strength of your wireless connection in all areas.

Most of the tools currently available show a map of your covered area with a representation of the wireless signal. Also, these tools generate excellent reports that give you a helpful idea of ​​the coverage and performance of your Wi-Fi network.

On this map, you can see the most active areas, as well as inactive signal areas, and based on that; you can plan your Wi-Fi design and coverage. This eliminates the assumptions and frustrations of interrupted connections.

Here’s the Best WiFi Heat Map Software & Tools of 2020 –

Wifi Heat Mapping Software - Currently, there are many Wi-Fi thermal mapping tools and some of the best are listed below; therefore, let's take a closer look at each of these tools:

SolarWinds NPM –

SolarWinds is a company known for its advanced monitoring systems that help you track the performance of all applications in your business. Very popular, Network Performance Monitor also provides Wi-Fi heating maps to help you better plan your design.

Features

The features of SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor are:

• ·        Create custom heat maps by analyzing the signal strength at adjacent access points and connected clients. It is much faster and more precise than a manual search for wireless power superimposed on a physical card.
• ·         Quickly identify dead signal areas
• ·         Make adjustments to improve Wireless Site Survey coverage.
• ·         Locate all the mobile devices connected to your Wi-Fi, within three meters of your network.
• ·         As an added benefit, you can take advantage of all the powerful features of Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

NetSpot

NetSpot is a wireless website analysis and Wi-Fi analysis tool that works well on Mac OS X and Windows. It is compatible with all 802.11 networks.

Features

Some of the essential functions of NetSpot are:

·         Collect information about surrounding Wi-Fi networks and present this information in an interactive whiteboard.

• ·         It allows you to solve problems and improve the coverage and performance of your network.
• ·         Customizable noise graphics show changes in real-time.
• ·         It helps you locate Wi-Fi issues in specific locations.
• ·         It helps to know your most popular and least used channels.
• ·         Colour-coded bars help analyze the performance of all Wi-Fi networks.
• ·         You can save all of this data to a CSV file for review.
• ·         It allows you to create multiple zones for each project.
• ·         It comes with full recommendations for solving Wi-Fi issues

Ekahau HeatMapper

Ekahau HeatMapper provides specific details about your Wi-Fi coverage, including information about interference and noise networks.

Features

The characteristics of the Ekahau HeatMapper are:

• ·         Helps to see Wi-Fi on a map
• ·         Find all the connections nearby.
• ·         802.11a, g, tola support
• ·         Works on any Windows operating system
• ·         Find security features
• ·         Find all the options available.
• ·         Design a high-quality Wi-Fi network for you
• ·         Eliminates problematic issues with other use cases.
• ·         The compiled version is derived from several examples
• ·         It works with Cisco, HP-Aruba and many other Wi-Fi network services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these WiFi heat maps give you a good idea of ​​the performance and coverage of your Wi-Fi network, so you never have to worry about broken Wi-Fi connections and the wrong signal again.

Take one or some of our previous recommendations to understand better how it works in your situation and how to put an end to deadlocks in your wireless networks and infrastructure by adequately using a Wifi heat card to understand your system.

Why A Wireless Site Survey Needed

A wireless site survey is recommended when implementing a wireless network. For larger wireless network implementations, a site survey element is required. For small wireless deployments, having a site survey is fine, but sometimes the cost of the site survey becomes a problem. When we implement a wireless network, we seek the best wireless coverage and performance with minimal use of the equipment. This saves time, labor and equipment costs. To obtain optimal wireless coverage and return, we must understand the radio frequency (RF) behavior of our wireless deployment site. A search on the wireless site will provide this information, revealing where the signal interference occurs, where the signals are weakest and areas without signs (dead zones). Wireless search also helps prevent interference from existing radio sources and interference from physical structures such as columns, beams, walls and metal objects. Anything can affect the radio signal profile of a website, including furniture and people. It is important to remember that the purpose of a wireless Router Survey is to determine the feasibility of implementing a wireless network to meet your needs and discover how to implement a wireless network within the limitations of your site.

How Does A Wireless Site Survey Help

When a wireless network is deployed, WiFi access points (APs) are usually placed at random, but is an excellent additional location for the WiFi access point a good strategy? In small implementations, the ad-hoc approach is not a problem, but with medium and large deployments, a wireless Rf Site Survey is recommended, which is usually necessary. A wireless site survey helps determine where to place Wi-Fi hotspots to avoid interference and coverage of other hotspots. In practice, many network administrators randomly set Wi-Fi hotspots and install additional Wi-Fi hotspots when additional coverage is needed or when they receive complaints about insufficient WiFi access. On a new wireless network, the network administrator has no idea of ​​the type of interference and how the radio signal profile of the website changes. Investigating the wireless website will help determine if there is interference in the same channel and at what point, where external radio interference is causing problems, and how to minimize the number of Wi-Fi hotspots. -Fi needed and where to locate them so ideal WiFI hotspots for better coverage It is important to understand that a survey of the Wireless Testing Tools website is a snapshot of the radio signal profile of the website at that time. As the site changes with a new addition of people, cabins, furniture and electronic equipment, your radio signal profile changes and may require additional site searches.

What Wifi Standards Need To Be Covered In A Site Survey

The most common WiFi standards used include 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, and 802.11ac. The 802.11b and 802.11g rules apply the 2.4 GHz band and are the most common supported standards. The difference between the two measures is performance, with 802.11b that supports 11 Mbps and 802.11g that supports 54 Mbps. The next necessary measure is the 802.11n standard, which supports the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands and with improved performance up to 600 Mbps. The latest standard is 802.11ac, compatible with the 5 GHz band and with an improved throughput of up to 7 Gbit / s. It is important to note that many new personal computers (PCs) and tablets are not compatible with the 802.11n or 802.11ac standard. Many companies can have a wide range of Wi-Fi devices and must support many generations of Wi-Fi devices, from 802.11a to 802.11ac and more. A site survey should cover all the WiFi standards used. Do not assume that a search on the site of one employer is valid for another.

What Are The Different Types Of Wireless Site Surveys Used For Site Surveys

There are three types of passive, active and predictive searches on wireless sites.

A passive on-site inspection tool listens to existing access points and other signal sources for signal strength, interference, and access point (AP) coverage. In passive site searches, listening WiFi adapters do not need to associate with the AP, they look passively to provide an image of the radio frequency (RF) characteristics of the network website without thread. Passive searches are often done when upgrading existing wireless Networks Surveys, such as adding additional access points.

In an active site search, the WiFi search adapter is associated with the access points. This allows you to collect detailed information such as network traffic, loss of performance packets, and data speed. An active site search is usually done in conjunction with a passive site search at the start of new wireless network implementation.

A predictive site survey is performed without any field measurements. It uses RF planning software tools that can predict wireless coverage of access points. To conduct this research on-site, it is essential to have a plan (AutoCAD, JPEG, PDF). Predictive site surveys are used when the site or building has not yet been constructed and is useful for budgeting purposes.

The purpose of all wireless site searches is to provide detailed information that covers the radio frequency coverage of the site. Before implementing or attempting to optimize a Wireless Design network, you should understand all possible areas of interference, the location of access points, power considerations, and necessary cabling requirements. A survey of a wireless website can provide all of this information and much more. You, therefore, have the tools you need to design, implement and optimize your wireless network.