This post is kind of a sequel to the previous post The need for better Hotel Wi-Fi.
Whenever you do a wireless survey, you need a floor plan. If you don’t have one, Ekahau users have the luxury of doing a Just-Go survey, where the floor plan is dynamically generated with the help of the LiDAR sensor in your mobile. Sadly, Hamina is not capable of this (yet?).
How to get a floor plan now?
The last resort, and typically the only option in a hotel, is to take a picture of the escape plan and use this in your survey app. And now the problems begin.
Look at this example of a floor plan of a newly renovated hotel in Frankfurt:
Looks fine? Well, I stayed in room 305. And that room is not on the plan. And there were also rooms 340 and 341. Also not on the plan.
Or what about this one from a hotel in Munich (where I stayed for WiFi Design Day DACH 2025):
On the left, the hotel seems to end with room 342 or room 308. But no, there were a couple of more rooms on the left side of the building. And in that part, there was no better plan on display.
This is not only a problem for Wi-Fi engineers with nerdy habits. It can also be a problem for the safety of the hotel guests. DIN ISO 23601 “Safety identification – Escape and evacuation plan signs” states:
Escape and rescue plans must always be up to date in accordance with DIN ISO 23601. Furthermore, any changes to the building structure or fire protection and emergency measures must lead to a review and, if necessary, revision of the escape and rescue plans.
(translation from the german text)
In addition to that, we have work safety regulations in Germany (ASR A2.3) that also state:
Escape and rescue plans must be up-to-date, clear, legible, and color-coded, using safety colors as well as rescue and fire protection signs. For information on the design of escape and rescue plans, see ASR A1.3 “Safety and Health Protection Signage.”
(translation from the german text)
Thanks to Martin Haneke for the information on the legal implications of outdated floor plans.
May the perfect floor plan be with you (not only on May the 4th)!