Outdoor Planning

Learn how to perform outdoor planning in Hamina Network Planner.

While Hamina Network Planner is primarily intended for designing networks in indoor spaces, it can be used to plan small outdoor spaces, such as:

1. Parking lots

2. Shipping and logistics yards

3. Small industrial plants

4. Small downtown areas

5. RV parks

The predictive modeling engine in Hamina Network Planner is primarily designed for indoor use. While we think it can be used for small outdoor projects, note that we didn't specifically design or test it for outdoor use.

Process

1

Get maps and imagery

Using Google Earth, Apple Maps, aerial photography, or any other form of imagery that shows the site. This can be obtained via image exports, or screenshots if your computer is of sufficiently high resolution.

Imagery needs to be from a top-down perspective.

2

Scale the project

Setting an accurate scale is one of the most critical parts of the project. Identify two points that you can get a measurement from, and then use the Scale tool to define the distance between the two objects in the Hamina project. See Scaling Maps for more information.

3

Optional: Draw sloped and raised floors

If you subscribe to Hamina Network Planner Plus, you can apply very basic topographical features using Sloped floors and Raised floors. Be sure to uncheck Slab only when placing sloped and raised floors.

Sloped and raised floors can be used to create gentle slopes and changes in elevation, but are primarily designed for designing in stadiums, arenas, and auditoriums.

4

Use attenuating objects to draw buildings

Use attenuating objects to trace in and draw buildings on the map. Hamina Network Planner has some default attenuating object profiles that you can modify to suit your particular project, particularly when it comes to height.

5

Use attenuating objects to draw clutter

Attenuating objects can also be used to draw clutter data, such as trees and foliage.

It's also possible to stack multiple attenuating objects (such as tree trunks and elevated foliage) to create detailed objects. For more information, see Attenuating Objects.

6

Design the network

Once the map is added and scaled, and you've added buildings, objects, and clutter data, you can begin to place access points and cellular radios.