# ByteSurvey — Pilot Brief Portable Wi-Fi intelligence. Find weak Wi-Fi. Prove what changed. Status: internal pilot. Scope reviewed 11 September 2026. Website: https://bytesurvey.online/ Pilot enquiries: info@bytesurvey.online Cloud login: https://bytesurvey.online/login (provisioned internal users) ## The proposition A portable Wi-Fi survey kit, an iPad field workflow and a self-hosted cloud that keeps the building's survey history under the team's control. ## The current kit - Raspberry Pi 4: local authoritative recorder. - One Alfa AWUS036AXML: sequential Wi-Fi observations on the current 2.4/5 GHz profile. - iPad: floor-plan interface and stationary point placement. Current development device: iPad mini 5, A2133, Lightning. RF measurements come from the kit, not the iPad. - USB power bank: portable power source; final pack and endurance require validation. - Proposed enclosure: both antennas inside an RF cover, with a separate lower electronics and power compartment. This is a visual concept, not manufacturing CAD. ## Available in the internal pilot 1. Create projects and floors, add floor plans, calibrate scale. 2. Select company SSIDs and carry an immutable scope into each survey. 3. Discover nearby Wi-Fi radios over the air without a controller connection or AP inventory. 4. Place stationary measurements on the iPad and retain observations locally on the kit. 5. Synchronise to a self-managed VPS after reconnecting. 6. Review scoped heatmaps, raw observations, estimated AP positions and survey history. 7. Compare surveys and export PDF reports and CSV evidence. 8. Manage cloud users and scoped access. Prepare the project and floor plan on the kit before offline work. Nearby network data is retained. SSID selection organises the survey; it does not prove ownership or detect rogue APs by itself. A detected BSSID is a radio identity, not necessarily a separate physical AP. ## What you can measure and review - Receiver measurements: RSSI in dBm, receive frequency, channel, band and capture time. - Network broadcasts: SSID, BSSID, advertised PHY, operating width and security. - Optional AP broadcasts: BSS Load channel utilisation and station count; security, roaming-capability, beacon/DTIM and country information where supported and present. - Receiver-dependent noise and SNR: unavailable when valid measured noise is absent. - Survey context: calibrated coordinates, selected networks, samples and acquisition metadata. - Derived views: interpolated coverage, observed-radio density, potential channel contention, estimated AP locations and comparisons between survey visits. - Deliverables: retained observations, a self-hosted survey history, PDF reports and CSV data. The Alfa hardware supports 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz. ByteSurvey currently enables 2.4/5 GHz; 6 GHz surveying is pending driver, regulatory and real-AP end-to-end validation. Hardware reference: https://www.alfa.com.tw/products/awus036axml AP broadcasts are not independent measurements of throughput or interference. ## Qualification gates - RF repeatability against reference measurements. - Stable USB connection, power budget, restart recovery and long survey sessions. - Enclosure thermal, antenna, mechanical and cable-routing validation. - Final portable power source and measured runtime. - Broader iPad and field deployment qualification. ## Not provided or not yet qualified - 6 GHz capture in the current release. - Dedicated non-Wi-Fi spectrum analysis. - Validated active throughput or roaming tests. - Continuous walking positioning or guaranteed physical AP locations. - Published battery life, certified accuracy, ingress rating or compliance certification. ## Position in the market ByteSurvey focuses on an accessible workflow and a self-hosted record. Established commercial products offer dedicated survey hardware and broader diagnostics. This is not an independent benchmark or a claim of equivalent enterprise qualification. Ekahau Survey + Sidekick 2: mobile survey workflow, automatic AP placement, 2.4/5/6 GHz support and spectrum analysis; the Analyzer publisher listing describes four-channel packet capture with Sidekick 2. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ekahau-survey/id1238070997 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ekahau-analyzer/id1492115746 Hamina Onsite + Oscium Nomad: 2.4/5/6 GHz workflow, offline surveys and later cloud sync; optional supported spectrum analysers. Hamina also offers Clip hardware. https://www.hamina.com/onsite NetAlly AirCheck G3 Pro + AirMapper: integrated handheld site surveys and diagnostics, Link-Live analysis, regional band variants and optional NXT-2000 spectrum analyser. https://www.netally.com/products/aircheckg3/ Verify each vendor's current hardware, regional and licence requirements. Competitor names belong to their owners. No affiliation or endorsement. ## Availability and infrastructure The current platform runs on a self-managed VPS. No paid cloud-hosting service is required for this deployment, but the operator remains responsible for infrastructure and operation. There is no announced public sales date, final product price or open pilot registration. Cloud access is available only to provisioned internal users.