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To create a new project, click Project => New. A wizard window will appear.
Step 1
Specify the Name, Description (optional), and Project path. The name you give to the project is used as the file name under which your project will be saved in the folder specified in the Project path field.
Step 2
In this step, you should Select an environment. The Environment panel allows you to configure some of the very important project parameters that affect the way data visualizations are computed. Because different environments have different characteristics in terms of signal attenuation, diffraction, reflection, etc., you are asked to select the environment that best describes the site you plan to survey. For each environment, the application recommends a Guess range. A guess range is the diameter of the circle for which the application predicts the WLAN characteristics with a high degree of certainty. For passive surveys, TamoGraph can also compute WLAN characteristics outside the guess range zone, although such computations have a lower degree of accuracy. Check the Extrapolate data beyond the guess range box to enable such computations. Enabling this option means that data visualizations will cover the entire map rather than the areas that you actually surveyed. Enabling this option is not recommended unless you cannot survey some areas of the map for whatever reason. Finally, the Measurement units control can be used to choose the preferred units (feet or meters) for displaying distances and coordinates throughout the application. See the Environment chapter for more information.
Step 3
Select the Channels to scan. The application scanner sweeps through the channels supported by the wireless adapter to collect and analyze packets being sent on the selected channels. You may want to modify the channel selection if you know that some of the channels supported by the wireless adapter are not used in your WLAN or in your country. For example, if your WLAN does not use the 5 GHz band, you may want to turn off all 5 GHz channels; this will shorten the scanning cycle and, therefore, increase the data accuracy. However, please keep in mind that skipping some of the channels may result in the application's inability to detect sources of interference, such as neighboring APs that work on the channels that were skipped. It is recommended that you not modify the default Scan interval and Use the same interval for all channels settings at this stage. See the Scanner chapter for more information. You can use the Select channels button for selecting or deselecting all channels, as well as for selecting channels based on the country- or region-specific allowed channel lists (e.g., choosing United States will select channels 1-11 and deselect channels 12-14 in the 2.4 GHz frequency band).
Step 4
In the final step, you should add an image file that contains the floor plan or site map of the facility or area that you want to survey (you will be able to add more images if your project includes several zones or floors later.) A floor plan or site map is required for accurate data analysis. If no image file is available, you may want to scan a plan, if it exists on paper, create one using a drawing program, such as CorelDraw, or even make a sketch using a ruler and pencil and then scan the sketch (be sure to follow the proportions). The image file should be between 250 and 2,500 pixels on a side. Larger images will slow down the application. The following image file formats are supported: BMP, PNG, JPG, GIF, and WMF.
If you plan to perform a large-area GPS-assisted survey, you may want to import a map from one of the online map services or Microsoft MapPoint (MapPoint Europe or MapPoint North America are required to use MapPoint maps). Click Load Street Map to open a new map loader dialog. Once the initial map view is loaded (the application will try to guess your location based on the Wi-Fi environment), you can navigate to the area you want to survey, using the map controls or the Navigation frame, in which you can enter your coordinates, or read them from the GPS receiver, or enter your address. Click Go to Location to load the map of the corresponding area. When you are satisfied with the area selection and zoom level, click Use Map. Note that the application will use the map image as you see it, with the selected zoom level and size in pixels as in the map loader window (the window can be resized). Be sure to select the area correctly and to set a zoom level that meets your needs, as you will not be able to resize the map or zoom in/out at a later time. When you open the map loader window, TamoGraph temporarily returns control over your Wi-Fi adapter to Windows so that you can connect to the Internet and load the map. If a Wi-Fi connection to your AP is not established, connect your computer to the Internet over a wired connection, close the map loader window, and open it again.
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