Previously I discussed the “Ekahau – Crop & Rotate Map” feature. It is a really good feature and I’m glad they finally added that in their software. With that being said as part of my “Ekahau wish list” I would like to discuss a feature that I would love to see in Ekahau, “Ekahau – Image Editing“. It does not have to be a complete image editing program like (MS Paint 3D or Autosketch etc), but at minimum, some key features would be beneficial. Below is a quick list of things I feel would add value.
- Crop and rotate (already present)
- Color palette
- Eraser (adjustable size)
- Pen/Pencil (Adjustable size)
- Draw lines/Walls
- Add text (Few font sizes)
Use Case Scenario
One of the big questions that come up when requesting/wishing/wanting features in any software is, “what is the use case scenario”. Adding features to any software certainly requires time and resources, time and resources require funding. Any funding towards time and resources requires justification within a company. Keeping that in mind below is a shortlist of “Use Case Scenario” for the “Image Editing” feature in Ekahau.
- Adds value to the software for WLAN Engineers
- Will give us the ability to edit image file immediately on the iPad
- Will give us the ability to remove/erase unneeded text and other elements from the image file
- Will allow us to clean/update the map during the survey process such as delete/add walls
- I am certain there can be more and I would be happy to add them here if you can suggest any. Please feel free to message me on Twitter @malief46.
I would like to use a couple of quick examples to further explain the process. Currently when I am doing a survey and I run into something that has changed since my last visit to the site (yes I do run into this even after asking customers about the latest changes and updated maps etc. I am certain other WLAN Engineers who perform heat map surveys can attest to this) I have to go back to my laptop. Update the map based on the change such as a new room(s) or layout change, swap the map in Ekahau which is an easy process however it has always caused me many issues when I try to save and/or re-upload the map to the cloud. Moreover, it takes up to much time. If I have to make multiple changes I will have to repeat the process multiple times. This can lead to using up more time than was allotted for the project.
The below image was taken onsite, for the most part, this is a fairly good image. However, no one knew how old was this image. First I would love to clean up the text that is showing up on the right, secondly take a look at the lines representing “Primary Route”. Image editing option would allow me to clean those lines up during the survey instead of going back to my laptop.
The next thing I can think of is the ability to update any room changes. If I enter a room that is no longer split like shown below and instead it has turned into one big large room, with the “Ekahau Image Editing” option I would be able to update that during heat mapping. If a large room that has been split into multiple offices I am able to easily draw walls, create those offices and/or additional rooms during my heat mapping.
The end result would be saved time, ability to complete your heat map effectively within the allotted time, ability to update the map for yourself as well as your customer. Not to mention two satisfied customers.