AP Density the Right Way: How to avoid “too many APs” in glass-heavy offices

Published: September 2025 | Last updated: September 18, 2025

If your office features extensive glass—conference rooms, partitions, storefront walls—you've probably encountered a frustrating paradox: signal strength appears excellent throughout the space, yet video calls drop, applications lag, and device roaming feels inconsistent. This typically indicates over-dense WiFi deployment complicated by glass-specific radio frequency behavior.

This guide explains why glass environments require different design principles, demonstrates proper access point sizing and placement techniques, and provides specific configuration steps to achieve optimal capacity without creating interference.

Why glass changes fundamental WiFi design principles

Standard interior glass creates two significant challenges for wireless network design:

Low attenuation characteristics

Most interior glass partitions provide minimal radio frequency attenuation compared to traditional drywall construction. While standard drywall typically reduces signal strength by 3-5 dB, basic interior glass may only attenuate signals by 1-2 dB. This means access point coverage cells extend much farther than anticipated, creating substantial overlap between adjacent devices.

The result is co-channel interference (CCI) and airtime contention, where multiple access points compete for the same radio spectrum. Low-E and metallized glass present the opposite challenge with high attenuation rates, but most interior office partitions fall into the low-attenuation category.

Multipath and reflection effects

Glass surfaces create radio frequency reflections that generate multipath propagation. While modern WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 equipment handles multipath better than previous generations, excessive reflections can still artificially inflate received signal strength indicator (RSSI) readings without improving signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

This creates misleading coverage assessments where signal meters show strong connectivity while actual throughput remains poor due to interference and retry overhead.

Identifying over-deployment symptoms

These symptoms indicate that network performance is limited by radio frequency interference rather than inadequate coverage, requiring optimization rather than additional hardware.

Design philosophy: Capacity through controlled coverage

Effective WiFi design in glass environments prioritizes capacity management over maximum coverage. The objective is to create distinct, appropriately sized coverage cells that minimize overlap while ensuring adequate signal quality for connected devices.

This approach typically results in fewer access points operating at lower power levels, creating more manageable coverage cells with reduced interference.

Implementation methodology: Seven-step deployment process

Step 1: Environmental and usage assessment

• Document occupancy density by zone (open areas versus enclosed spaces)
• Identify device types and quantities (laptops, phones, IoT devices)
• Map critical applications (voice calling, video conferencing, cloud access)
• Mark all glass surfaces on floor plans, noting thickness and metallization

Step 2: Conservative initial placement

• Design for user density rather than room coverage
• Avoid symmetrical placement across glass partitions
• Maintain generous initial spacing—densification can occur later if needed
• Position access points to serve multiple glass rooms when occupancy allows

Step 3: Optimal mounting and orientation

• Use ceiling mounting in open areas for omnidirectional coverage
• Maintain a minimum 1-meter (3-foot) separation from glass surfaces
• Consider directional antennas for long corridors with parallel glass walls
• Position access points near room entrances rather than room centers for better roaming

Step 4: Channel width optimization

Modern WiFi standards offer multiple channel width options, but glass environments benefit from narrower channels:

Narrower channels provide more reuse opportunities and reduce the impact of overlapping coverage areas.

Step 5: Transmit power management

Power control is critical in glass environments where signals propagate farther than expected:

• Configure consistent low to medium power levels across 5 GHz and 6 GHz radios
• Use very low power or disable 2.4 GHz radios entirely
• Avoid significant power imbalances between adjacent access points
• Test power levels during actual usage periods to account for environmental changes

Step 6: Client behavior optimization

Configure access points to encourage proper client roaming and band selection:

Step 7: Performance validation and iteration

Monitor key performance indicators during actual business operations:

• Airtime utilization: Target below 50-60% per access point during peak hours
• Retry rates: Maintain below 10% for healthy performance
• PHY rates: Ensure the majority of traffic uses high modulation rates (MCS 7+)
• Roaming frequency: Minimize unnecessary transitions while supporting mobility

Practical placement strategies for glass environments

Conference room optimization

Glass conference rooms present the most significant deployment challenges due to simultaneous high-bandwidth usage (video conferencing) and acoustic isolation requirements.

Open office integration

Open areas adjacent to glass partitions require careful cell boundary management:

• Maintain 2-3 meter minimum spacing between access points and glass walls
• Use ceiling mounting to reduce reflection angles
• Consider coverage gaps acceptable near glass surfaces if occupancy is low
• Prioritize desk areas and collaboration zones over transition spaces

Channel planning for scalable performance

Glass environments require more aggressive channel planning due to extended propagation characteristics:

5 GHz optimization

Utilize all available non-overlapping channels before considering dynamic frequency selection (DFS) channels. In September 2025, most enterprise-grade access points support:

• Primary channels: 36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161
• DFS channels: 52, 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124, 128, 132, 136, 140
• Channel widths: 20, 40, and 80 MHz (avoid 160 MHz in dense deployments)

6 GHz advantages

WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 equipment provide access to 6 GHz spectrum with significant benefits for glass environments:

For glass offices, 6 GHz provides excellent opportunities to offload modern laptops and devices while maintaining cleaner 5 GHz performance for legacy equipment.

UniFi-specific implementation guidance

For organizations using Ubiquiti UniFi equipment, the following configurations optimize performance in glass-heavy environments:

Recommended hardware selection

Based on September 2025 product availability, these UniFi access points perform well in glass office environments:

Flagship model considerations for glass environments

The U7 Pro XG and U7 Pro XGS models offer specific advantages in challenging glass office deployments:

These flagship models are particularly valuable in conference centers, executive floors, or open offices with extensive glass architecture where standard access points may struggle with complex RF environments and high user density.

UniFi Network configuration steps

Configure the following settings in UniFi Network Controller version 9.0 or later:

Advanced features for glass environments

Recent UniFi firmware updates include features specifically beneficial for challenging RF environments:

• AI optimization: Automated channel and power adjustment based on performance metrics
• WiFi 7 features: Multi-link operation (MLO) and enhanced interference mitigation
• Advanced roaming: Improved 802.11k/v/r support for smoother transitions
• Quality of service: Application-aware traffic prioritization

For comprehensive UniFi network planning and optimization, review our complete UniFi business network setup guide.

Troubleshooting over-deployment issues

If monitoring reveals characteristics of excessive access point density, implement corrections in the following order:

Performance monitoring indicators

Track these metrics using UniFi Network or third-party monitoring tools:

Metric	Healthy Range	Action Required
Airtime Utilization	< 50% average, < 60% peak	> 70% sustained
Retry Rate	< 10%	> 15%
Average PHY Rate	> 200 Mbps	< 100 Mbps
Client RSSI	-45 to -70 dBm	< -75 dBm or > -40 dBm

Modern WiFi standards and glass environments

WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 advantages

Current-generation wireless standards provide several features that improve performance in challenging glass environments:

• OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access): Enables efficient sharing of airtime among multiple devices
• MU-MIMO improvements: Enhanced multi-user support reduces contention
• BSS Coloring: Helps distinguish between overlapping networks
• 6 GHz spectrum access: Provides clean channels free from legacy interference
• Multi-link operation (WiFi 7): Simultaneous use of multiple bands for improved reliability

Equipment compatibility considerations

As of September 2025, device support varies across WiFi standards:

• WiFi 6 (802.11ax): Nearly universal support in business laptops and modern smartphones
• WiFi 6E (6 GHz): Growing support, particularly in premium laptops and recent tablets
• WiFi 7 (802.11be): Available in latest flagship devices, expanding rapidly through 2025

Plan deployments around actual device capabilities rather than theoretical maximum performance specifications.

Implementation planning worksheet

Use this framework to size network requirements before deployment:

If Step 3 requires more access points than Step 4 allows, reduce per-AP coverage areas, consider higher-capacity models, or implement quality-of-service controls to manage bandwidth consumption.

Field implementation best practices

Pre-deployment validation

Before final installation, validate design assumptions:

• RF survey: Use a spectrum analyzer or a temporary access point to measure actual propagation through glass
• Interference assessment: Identify existing 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz usage from neighboring networks
• Load testing: Simulate expected user density and application mix
• Roaming verification: Test client transition behavior in critical areas

Documentation requirements

Maintain detailed records for future optimization:

Maintenance and optimization schedule

Glass environments may require more frequent optimization due to changing RF characteristics:

• Weekly: Monitor performance dashboards for anomalies
• Monthly: Review airtime utilization and client distribution
• Quarterly: Comprehensive performance assessment and optimization
• Annually: Full RF survey and capacity planning review

Implementation checklist

Professional implementation services

Glass office environments present unique challenges that benefit from experienced RF engineering. Proper implementation requires an understanding of radio frequency propagation, interference analysis, and performance optimization techniques.

Professional site surveys and implementation services ensure optimal results for organizations planning network upgrades or experiencing performance issues in glass-heavy environments. Our team provides predictive modeling, on-site validation, and comprehensive optimization to deliver networks that perform reliably under real-world conditions.

Understanding glass environment RF behavior and implementing appropriate design principles creates wireless networks that provide consistent performance and capacity for growing business needs. Proper planning and optimization deliver significantly better results than simply adding more access points to problematic deployments.

Frequently asked questions