Apparatus and method for determining a preferred location for installation of a radio transceiver

A system comprising a first computing device and a second computing device for determining a respective preferred installation height above ground level for each of a plurality of locations for a subscriber module for receiving a radio link from an access point in a wireless network, the access point having a given height above ground level and a specified location, and the subscriber module being situated within a given geographical area including the location of the access point, wherein the first computing device is configured to perform a process comprising:

• accessing elevation data for the given geographical area;
• and
• sending the elevation data file from the first computing device to the second computing device,
• wherein the second computing device is configured to perform a process comprising:
• processing the elevation data file to generate a preferred height data file representing a preferred height for a subscriber module to be wirelessly visible by the access point at each of the plurality of locations,
• wherein said processing the elevation
• data file to generate a preferred height data file is by an iterative process comprising:
• calculating, for each of a plurality of paths extending radially away from the access point to a respective point on a boundary of an area containing the access point, an angle of inclination from the horizontal for a ray between the access point and a plurality of successive locations on each respective path away from the access point;
• for each successive location on the respective path, comparing the current angle of inclination to a running minimum angle of inclination for the path;
• dependent on the current angle of inclination being greater than the running minimum angle of inclination for the path, calculating the preferred height of the subscriber module as at least the height that would result in wireless visibility between the access point and the subscriber module;
• and
• the first computing device is further configured to perform a process comprising:
• processing the required height data file to provide output data indicating the preferred height of the subscriber module as a function of location and to display an indication of the preferred height of the subscriber module as a function of location.

A method of operating a system comprising a first computing device and a second computing device to determine preferred locations for an access point for receiving a radio link from a plurality of subscriber modules in a wireless network, the subscriber modules and the access point being situated within a given geographical area, the method comprising using the first computing device to:

• access elevation data for the given geographical area;
• access location and height data for each subscriber module;
• and
• send the elevation data and the location and height data to the second computing device;
• using second computing device to:
• for each subscriber module, processing at least the elevation data and the location and height data to generate a wireless visibility data file indicating the wireless visibility of the subscriber module by an access point having a given height above ground level at each of a plurality of locations,
• wherein said processing the elevation data and the location data and height data to generate a wireless visibility data file is by an iterative process comprising:
• calculating, for each of a plurality of paths extending radially away from the subscriber module to a respective point on a boundary of an area containing the subscriber module, an angle in elevation for a ray between the subscriber module and a plurality of successive locations on each respective path away from the subscriber module;
• for successive locations on the respective path, comparing the current angle in elevation to a running most positive angle in elevation for the path;
• and
• calculating a direct view angle in elevation that would give wireless visibility, in the absence of obstructions, to the access point at the given height above ground level, and if the direct view angle in elevation is less than the running most positive angle in elevation for the path, marking the location as a location at which the subscriber module would not be wirelessly visible to an access point of the given height;
• and
• using the first computing device to process the wireless visibility data file to provide output data indicating numbers of wirelessly visible subscriber modules as a function of location of the access point.