Install Planning and Surveys
Surveying and planning installs
Taking Panorama Photos
A direct line of sight to a Supernode or hub node is required to connect to NYC Mesh. To help the install team determine whether a line of sight is possible, we ask new members to provide a panoramic photo of the view from their rooftop. We use these photos to identify an existing hub/node to which your building can connect.
Where to find the panorama photo function on your phone
Most cell phone cameras have panoramic photo capability in camera mode.
iPhone
On iPhones, this feature will be a scrollable option on the bottom of the camera screen.
Android
On Android phones, this feature may be listed under “more” or “...”.
Taking a good panorama image
Rooftop panorama images should show as much of the surrounding skyline and other buildings as possible. We are looking to see if any of our existing hubs or supernodes are visible from your rooftop. For this reason please take your panorama photos from the highest point on the roof if possible (and safe!).
If you are also willing and able, please feel free to annotate cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) and other nearby landmarks (nearby streets, lower Manhattan, midtown, prospect park, etc) This helps our volunteers get their bearings and figure out which direction your photos are looking.
Best practices for roof panoramas
- Show all 360 degrees around your building.
- Take the photos from the highest point on the roof that safe to access if possible.
- If you are aware of any nearby nodes, annotate them on the photo if you can.
- Photos must be clear and well-lit. Take photos around midday if possible on a clear (not raining or foggy) day.
- If taking photos in the afternoon, please avoid glare from the sun and shadows that may obstruct the view.
- Include existing antenna masts or proposed antenna mounting locations if desired.
Best practices for DIY window panoramas
- 180 degree view from the window shown.
- Open window and put your arm all the way out when taking the photos for the best view.
- Show as much of the view out of the window as possible.
- Tilt your phone upwards if necessary to capture the tops of nearby buildings. (If your window is on a lower floor of your building)
- Take photos around midday if possible for the best results. Be aware of glare/shadows from the sun if take photos early or late in the day.
Examples of good panorama photos
Examples of unusable panorama photos
Photo taken in the evening, too dark. Can't see anything.
Too much glare from the sun. Need to re-take photo closer to midday.
Photo is too low quality, can't see any details. (May need to re-take photo with a better camera or try re-sending as an attachment instead of inserting into the email.)
Surveys
Site surveys
Site surveys for large buildings help us determine if wireless connection is possible and how we will run cable to apartments. Take photos at each step as you go through the building.
Mounting points on roof
Identify the best mounting points on the roof.
Bandwidth test
Take a battery and do a bandwidth test to the hub or hubs that they are planning to connect to
(This might not be possible if the mounting point is in the water tower)
Conduit or drop point for cable from roof to basement
For large buildings we need to run cable from the roof to the basement. Try to identify existing conduits we can use. We can't use ISP's conduits, unless the building owns them.
Telecom closet access
All large buildings have a telecom closet in the basement. This is one place we might put a panel and run our cables from there.
Raceways into apartments
Hallways often have conduits running where the wall meets the ceiling. This is called a raceway. See if this is owned by the building and we can use that.
Unused wiring that we could use.
Often there is unused or abandoned wiring that we can use. This might be ethernet, coax or even fiber. This will save a huge amount of time and money if we can identify that.
Documentation
When finished, write up a google doc of the survey with embedded photos. We often share these as pdf's with the interested building managers.