Wi-Fi Deployment Status: Highlights of the Barcelona 2026 Survey

This presentation summarizes the main findings of the Barcelona 2026 Wi-Fi deployment survey, an empirical measurement campaign aimed at characterizing the current state of Wi-Fi infrastructure across Barcelona and its metropolitan area. The study examines deployment density, IEEE 802.11 generations, operating-band utilization, channel widths, channel selection, active client stations, and expected PHY-layer performance. Measurements were collected over a four-month field campaign covering different indoor, outdoor, dense, and sparse urban environments. The methodology combines Android-based Wi-Fi and GPS measurements using the SigCap application, passive monitoring using Kismet, and RF calibration measurements. The resulting datasets are used both to characterize unique Wi-Fi deployments and to estimate the best achievable PHY rate along the measurement routes, assuming continuous association with the best available access point.