A 500-bed regional hospital was losing Wi-Fi connections in clinical areas. Infusion pumps, telemetry tags, bed sensors, mobile workstations and nurse communication all run over the same wireless network, and a dropped connection in a clinical area interrupts care.
A Wi-Fi site survey came first. GT Global Services surveyed the site with Ekahau, modelled coverage and capacity before any hardware went in, validated the design on the floor, installed the cabling and access points to match, and put medical device traffic on its own network segment.
At a glance
Key challenges
- Dropped connections in clinical areas, where an interruption affects care
- Lead-lined CT and X-ray rooms that wireless signals do not pass through the way they do through ordinary walls
- Copper RF-shielded MRI rooms presenting the same problem
- Sources of RF interference in clinical areas
- Access point placement and capacity needing to match the devices in each area
- Medical device traffic sharing the network with guest traffic
What the Wi-Fi site survey delivered
GT Global Services surveyed the site with Ekahau and delivered:
- Wi-Fi site survey: a full survey of the clinical areas.
- Predictive design: coverage and capacity modelled before any hardware went in.
- On-site validation: signal, roaming and interference measured on the floor.
- Reporting: heat maps, findings and a prioritized fix list.
- RF interference testing: sources of interference in clinical areas found and documented.
- Capacity planning: the network sized for the number of devices in each area.
- Structured cabling: new cable runs to support the access points.
- Access points: supplied and installed to match the validated design.
- Network segmentation: separate VLANs for medical device traffic and guest traffic.
- Ongoing monitoring and managed services: continued support after go-live.
The result
- Coverage: the coverage gaps in clinical areas were mapped and closed.
- Capacity: the network is sized for the devices clinical teams actually use.
- Separation: medical devices run on their own network segment, apart from guest traffic.
- Support: monitoring and managed services continue after go-live.
Medical devices are only as reliable as the network they run on. Before you add more connected devices, make sure the Wi-Fi can carry them.
Planning new medical devices?
Start with a survey of what your network can carry today.
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