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Guide·Networks·3 min

Warehouse: why scanners drop off the network, and how to fix it

A scanner that loses the network halfway down an aisle costs a picking line. The cause is rarely signal strength, and often the number of access points.

The essentials in 30 seconds

In a warehouse, dropouts almost always come from the handover between access points, not from a signal that is too weak. A terminal holds on to its old access point until the connection drops, instead of switching in time. The fixes are access point density, lower transmit power, and handover settings suited to mobile devices. Adding power usually makes the problem worse.

The symptom is always the same: the scanner works, freezes at the end of an aisle, then starts again after a few seconds. The picker starts the line again. Over a day, this adds up to a considerable amount of time, and nobody measures it because each incident only lasts ten seconds.

The real cause: handover between access points

A mobile terminal decides on its own when to change access point. As long as it still picks up a little of its old access point, it hangs on to it. The result: it drags a poor signal along for several metres, until the connection drops outright, even though a better access point had been available for a long time.

What actually works

  1. Add density rather than power: more access points, each one less powerful, so the best access point is always clearly better than the others.
  2. Map the coverage for real, terminal in hand, walking the aisles at working height. A measurement taken at ceiling level says nothing about what a scanner sees.
  3. Treat racks as obstacles: a full warehouse does not have the same coverage as an empty one, and measurements must be taken when it is stocked.
  4. Check the transition zones: loading docks, cold rooms, mezzanines. These are the points where handovers fail most often.

Cold rooms and loading docks

A cold room behaves like a metal cage: the outside signal barely gets in. It needs a dedicated access point, rated for the temperature, rather than hoping to cover it from the corridor.

Loading docks pose the opposite problem: with the door open, the signal leaks outside and terminals in the yard connect to saturated indoor access points. Directing the signal and limiting its range helps more there than adding power.

When it is not the Wi-Fi

Before starting any work, check that the application server responds properly. An ERP that takes two seconds to validate a line gives exactly the same feeling of freezing as a network dropout, and the fix lies elsewhere.

The test is simple: on a wired workstation, at the same moment, is the same operation instant? If not, the wireless network is not the cause.

Frequently asked questions

Should I increase the power of the Wi-Fi access points in a warehouse?
Generally not. High power keeps a terminal attached for too long to a distant access point instead of switching to a nearby one. The right approach is to add more access points while reducing the range of each one.
How many access points does it take to cover a warehouse?
The number depends on the height, how full the racks are and the materials stored, far more than on the floor area. Only an on-site survey, carried out with the warehouse stocked and at working height, can determine it reliably.
Can Wi-Fi work in a cold room?
Yes, with access points rated for the temperature range and installed inside the room. Relying on an access point outside to cover a cold room practically never works, because the metal walls block the signal.

Next step

Have my site's coverage measured

Published 7 September 2026 · Équipe Skill Group, Télécom & réseaux

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