Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, is one of the most used standards wireless communication in modern world. Mobile Internet has not yet received widespread development due to limited technical capabilities and high cost. But there are different kinds of routers in every apartment and almost every office. Moreover, Wi-Fi zones are appearing in more and more parks, squares, and public transport. High-speed free access is one way to lure people to a cafe or supermarket.
It is not surprising that special applications that allow you to find available networks and show their characteristics are gaining popularity. Such programs are called scanners or analyzers. Before looking at what a Wi-Fi scanner is and how to use it, let's clarify what characteristics a network basically has and what useful things you can learn about it.
Wi-Fi network settings
Below are the main parameters wireless networks, which characterize their quality and availability:
- Standard - affects speed, quality and encryption. The following standards exist:
- 11b - the very first and practically not used now, since low level security, unreliable WEP encryption type, low speed up to 11 Mbit/sec.
- 11g is more advanced, speed reaches 54 Mbps, supports WPA2 security protocol.
- 11i is even more modern, supporting WPA2 encryption, speed 125 Mbit/s.
- 11n - relevant today, provides higher throughput, coverage area, speed of 300 Mbit/s.
- Different types of security:
- WEP is not a very reliable option, since part of the key is dynamic and changes periodically, and is repeated at certain intervals, which makes it susceptible to hacking.
- WPA - works on the same algorithm, but with a more frequently changing key and packet integrity protocol.
- WPA2 is an improvement on WPA with a stronger encryption algorithm.
- 1X is a security standard that includes several protocols and is used in corporate networks.
- VPN is a virtual private network that provides almost 100% security and is also used for corporate networks.
- Channel - frequency range on which the router operates. In Russia there are 13 channels with a frequency of 2.4 GHz, 3 of which do not overlap (1, 6 and 11). Some more expensive routers operate at a frequency of 5 GHz, there are a larger number of non-overlapping channels.
The Wi-Fi scanner is designed to collect information on the above indicators, as well as data about the network name (SSID), MAC address, and signal strength.
Scanning networks in Windows
Analyzers developed for Windows networks are the most functional and give detailed information. In addition, they sometimes allow you to change settings where possible.
Where can such a scanner program be useful? If you need access to the network, then using it you can quickly analyze those in the access zone and not protected by a password. The application is also used to increase connection speed, as it allows you to analyze channel congestion and switch the router to a less loaded one, where there is less interference.
Popular programs for Windows OS are:
- Download the program from the manufacturer's website (it provides a free trial) and install it on your computer.
- A list of networks and their parameters is displayed at the top of the program window.
- Below there are four tabs: a welcome tab with advertising, TimeGraph - shows a signal graph, then 2 tabs with a frequency of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. They show channel usage graphs on those frequencies.
- Look at the busiest channels: those on which a large number of routers intersect - and change yours to a freer one. Moreover, if there are channels that are equally loaded, but on one of them the routers weak signal, then it is better to choose it. There will be less interference and better speed work.
The article discusses free software running Microsoft Windows, which allows for a preliminary analysis of the radio coverage of the territory for the presence of third-party equipment operating in Wi-Fi range 2.4/5 GHz. A comparison was made of the technical features of the software under consideration.
Introduction
In wireless networks, the communication channel between the transmitter and the receiver is open, which greatly complicates the analysis of radio signal propagation in the territory of the designed network. What's even worse is that neighboring wireless equipment can have a negative impact on your network through this "open" channel. Therefore, radio survey of the territory plays a very important role in the design of a Wi-Fi network. Some experts claim that radio inspection is a completely unnecessary stage, citing the fact that surrounding networks are also constantly appearing, developing, modernizing, moving, etc. But you must agree, it’s better to know in advance that there is a gigantic network of points living near you access of a neighboring office, and take appropriate measures (for example, move to other non-overlapping frequency channels), rather than later encounter problems with radio wave interference and, as a result, low throughput your "open" communication channel.
Today there is a sufficient amount of software that allows you to assess the level of the surrounding electromagnetic background in the 2.4/5 GHz ranges. This article discusses programs that run under Windows OS.
1. Acrylic Wi-Fi
Acrylic Wi-Fi - the newest free network scanner, displaying available wireless networks, their technical characteristics (protocol, channel, maximum speed, etc.) as well as information about their security level. The program even provides a list Wi-Fi passwords, which are used by default access points.
Acrylic has a paid professional version with advanced capabilities to detect wireless security issues. Also in this version, the program performs a radio survey of the territory and offers to select the optimal channels on the network to ensure the most correct operation. The appearance of the program is shown in Figure 1:
Figure 1 - Appearance of the Acrylic Wi-Fi program
IN free version The program's capabilities remain rather meager, limited to displaying the information shown in the screenshot above (Figure 1), namely: transmitted by the access point - SSID; its MAC address; RSSI - signal strength; Chan - number of the channel used for transmission; 802.11x - Wi-Fi transmission standard; Max Speed - maximum speed; WEP/WPA/PWA2 - encryption type. An excellent feature is that the program shows which access points have WPS 1.0/2.0 mode enabled, because it’s no secret that this WPS 1.0 has long been a kind of “back door” for any network. It also displays related information about the manufacturer (Vendor) and the type of network in which the access point operates (Type), or in other words: does it have access to the Internet, or there is no point in breaking it (just kidding). For added drama, a graph is displayed showing changes in signal strength from various access points over time (bottom right in Figure 1).
Generally, listed set functions and is limited paid version Acrylic Wi-Fi. Quite meager, considering that long before this program, software appeared that was capable of more.
It’s hard to find fault with the professional version of the program; they crammed quite a lot into it useful functions, for example, the program itself will indicate access points that negatively affect your network. Acrylic allows you to generate status reports Wi-Fi networks with detailed characteristics of access points and transfer them to a communicator or administrator’s computer.
Resume on Acrylic Wi-Fi: When working with this program, I got the feeling that it was made entirely on the Kali Linux platform, with the only difference being that the graphical shell was added for working under Windows. The paid version is complemented by the fact that it allows you to generate reports in HTML format and helps the user make decisions about setting up the network without going into technical nuances. Thus, I would rate the free version of the program three points on a five-point scale; it can be classified as software for “beginners”; the paid version of the program deserves a slightly higher rating of three plus (due to the generation of reports). However, overall the program remains weak in its technical capabilities. In addition, it contains a bunch of distracting links leading to the developer’s website and profiles on google+, Facebook, twitter, etc. Which overall gives the impression of not technical application, but about a program for entertainment, when, having nothing else to do, I decided to “monitor” the neighbors’ Wi-Fi points access.
2. Wi-Fi Scanner
This software can show detailed information about 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac networks near you, as well as access point parameters and signal strength. The program also has a paid and free version, unlike the previous software, they do not differ in functionality. After installing the program, you can use it for 30 days, after which you need to register it - free for personal use, or buy it in case commercial use software The appearance of the program is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 - Appearance Wi-Fi programs Scanner
As in the previous software, the main column displays information about available networks, but the information is more extensive. Availability of additional columns: Achievable rate - actually achievable data transfer rate, Channel Width - used channel width, Spatial stream - spatial streams (here we are talking about MIMO technology), Channel Utilization - how loaded the data transmission channel is, and more extensive information about the security protocols used , and specifically the encryption type: CCMP/TKIP/WEP/ or a combination thereof.
The free version of this program includes all the features listed in the professional version of Acrylic Wi-Fi. In particular: Figure 3 shows a graph of the signal level from available Wi-Fi networks. Very convenient and intuitive.
Figure 3
Figure 4 provides extended information about one of the surrounding networks. In this case, this network is of the same name Rostelecom.
Figure 4
Resume on WiFi Scanner: In my opinion, the design of this program is quite “easy” in terms of perception of the displayed information, and the location of all buttons and tabs is intuitive. This program is an excellent solution for private use, and for commercial use the prices are reasonable. The program deserves an excellent rating.
3.Homedale
Belongs to the "weak" class. From a technical point of view, the program has glitches and shortcomings, but it works on the latest Windows versions. The program is easy to use, but it only allows you to estimate the signal level coming from the access point and some information already listed in previous software products. The program does not see equipment manufacturers and does not always determine the model of the access point whose network it has detected. Moreover, the signal strength from the access point is also not always able to be determined. The appearance of the main program window is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5
The program does not provide filters in any way, therefore, for example, on the graph of the power distribution of available access points by channel, it is impossible to remove connections that are “uninteresting” for us, so it simply shows such uninformative stuffing (Figure 6):
Figure 6
Considering the incomplete performance of this program, it is rated, to put it mildly, “unsatisfactory.” The program is quite weak compared to other similar free software distributed throughout the Internet.
4. Outdated monitoring programs
Add to list outdated programs included those that either do not support “modern” Wi-Fi standards- IEEE 802.11n/ac, or no longer work under Windows 7/8/8.1/10. Yes and appearance These programs are quite depressing, which is not pleasing to the eye.
Network Stumbler is a lightweight wireless network monitoring tool for Windows. Its development stopped at supporting 802.11 a/b/g standards, that is, it monitors the network only in the 2.4 band, excluding five gigahertz. The software works on Microsoft Windows systems up to and including XP.
WirelessNetView was once an excellent tool for monitoring Wi-Fi networks, but is now somewhat outdated.
Wireless Network Watcher - originally created for detecting and analyzing Wi-Fi networks. I used it myself once, the utility scanned local networks, including wireless. The program displays a list of all devices connected to this moment to the scanned network. The device information output table displays information such as: IP, MAC address, device name and adapter manufacturer. The list can be exported to HTML. On the issue of analyzing Wi-Fi networks, her attitude is rather mediocre, because in order to get information about a Wi-Fi network, you need to connect to it. In fact, it was included in this review simply because of its specific name.
Instead of a conclusion
The Acrylic Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Scanner programs listed above belong to the class of those free programs that keep up with the times and are capable of monitoring access points running on the relatively recently introduced IEEE 802.11ac. In addition to the programs reviewed, there are also no less famous ones that were not included in this review, among which inSSIDer is an entirely paid software recently. In addition, a large number of programs running Android OS, Mac OS and Linux are available on the network. But that is another story.
One of the most interesting programs for analyzing wifi performance is considered to be “wifi analyzer” for Windows.
With its advent, the task of finding channels and problems with them has become much easier.
And today we will look at why such an analyzer is needed and how to use it.
Wifi analyzer – what is it?
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The analyzer is a program that allows you to scan available networks and analyze the availability of the Internet.
Its main task is:
- analyze channel distribution;
- analyze the signal quality;
- carry out interference analysis;
- issue a report bypassing analysis tools such as Aircrack.
Similar ones work in a slightly different direction, although they know how to conduct analysis.
You can download the application for free using the play market.
DownloadWhat is WiFi analyzer intended for?
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There are a huge number of programs that offer work on analyzing the Wi-Fi signal. The difference between them is not fundamental.
Somewhere the interface changes a little, somewhere some additional function is present. But the results of everyone’s work are approximately the same - the same tables with conclusions.
Today we will look at a completely new application that can easily make working with wifi easier. It is used for computers and Android phones.
Let's say you installed a router to distribute Wi-Fi in your home. It does not always happen that the settings are carried out efficiently the first time and the signal is received perfectly.
What is this connected with? The neighbors also have Internet, they also have a router and there are several media that can be connected to it.
These are the reason for your troubles with the signal. There is simply interference caused by such a device.
The real find is that routers can work not on one channel, but use several of them. This is what an analyzer is required for.
It will help you decide on the most suitable channel that will not respond to extraneous interference.
If you have a router in your home, be sure to download a free one or purchase a paid analyzer. You shouldn’t hope that the interference will go away on its own, and you definitely shouldn’t be content with little. Even if, after using the application, you deleted it, for example, to save space. You still have to contact him anyway.
Wi-Fi analyzer - a miracle program
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By spending just a few seconds of your time, the user can easily get all the existing information about the fullness of the network and the quality of the received signal.
After checking, the user will have access to two tabs. The first contains data on the quality of the wifi channel.
This window will help you easily decide which of them would be most appropriate to join.
The second tab presents information for each channel individually. With its help, you will receive information about how much the option you are interested in is loaded.
Both pages are presented in table form. All networks are marked with different colors.
To the left of it are written all the found connection options.
In the upper right corner there is a program settings icon.
Advantages of the application and reviews about it
Read also:
All reviews that were found on the Internet about this application are only positive.
Some users who have installed it on their phone boast that they no longer need to run through the streets looking for free Wi-Fi.
Advantages:
- The great advantage of this program is that in a passive state it takes up practically no space;
- for it to detect a signal, even its weak manifestation is sufficient;
- there is a sensor to determine its strength;
- You can turn on the sound. The better the command, the louder its alert sound will sound;
- the application is free and accessible to anyone;
- provides advisory advice on solving problems that have arisen;
- automatically detects the existence of illegal devices and the presence of network vulnerabilities.
Where can I download the program from?
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The Wi-Fi analyzer is provided free of charge, and finding it on the Internet is not difficult.
1 For Android phones, it can be found on Google Play. This is the simplest option. It is very easy to do. Type a query like “download Wi-Fi analyzer program from Google Play” in the search bar and the required results will open to you. Follow the link provided by the system. In the application, next to the program we are interested in, there is only one “download” button. So it's impossible to make a mistake here. Click on it and wait for the results. After downloading, follow the system’s recommendations and install the application on your storage device without any problems.
2 On Windows 10, the official download source is the Microsoft website. It's free.
A feature or even a problem for this method is that for a successful result when downloading, you must have Windows at least version ten. If she is not like that, but the application is necessary. You'll have to make an update. If this is not done, downloading will simply be impossible.
Of course, you can install some alternative, for example, inSSIDer (which is paid), or Acrylic WiFi Professional. This is the user's choice.
Read also: TOP 12 Best Wi-Fi signal repeaters for your home | Review of current 2019 models
When you run a network check on your computer, a message will be displayed that will tell you which one is the best option for the given area. It looks like this:
On the screen of an Android-based phone, the information is presented in approximately the same form.
The utility file analyzer is designed for installation on Windows tenth series release. Having a different version on your computer, tablet or laptop software, installation will not be possible.
If you really need it this application, you will need to update for Windows or use one of the analogue programs.
To make such settings, you need to go to the program tab called “Analyze”. Quality indicators of different types of channels will be displayed here.
The designations are deciphered as follows:
- Wi-Fi performance of different users who live in the nearby range.
- The force with which the apparatus of each of them works.
- The channels themselves.
Based on the data in such a table, it is difficult to understand where the largest number of access points are located and to select the best option.
But this is not the most understandable option for ordinary people. It will be much more convenient if you enable the SSID parameter.
Then each line is signed with a specific name, which makes working with it easier.
The application is also very convenient because it not only carries out the analysis, but also displays the result in the form of a table with a rating of channels that are best suited for your device.
What to do if the signal quality has not improved after the settings?
Read also: How to distribute Wi-Fi from a laptop? The easiest ways
If after all the parameters are set, and the supplied Internet still leaves much to be desired, you need to check the following points:
- Try placing your router away from the wall. This will help remove the interference that comes from other people's devices. Moreover, these interruptions do not necessarily come from another router. They can be caused by any technique.
- Move the device around the apartment until the best place with the highest quality signal and, accordingly, Wi-Fi speed is found.
Analyzer for Android
Read also:
After downloading the program, there are no problems with it. To get started, just launch it. A check will begin for available network options and display the results on the screen.
This utility is for mobile phone most understandable and acceptable. Another advantage is that it requires virtually no free memory space.
After the analysis, information will appear on how actively this or that network is used in a given territory.
How often does the router operate? This entire history will be displayed in the “properties” and “channels” tabs.
If your settings are similar to the example, this means that the phone you are using is not blocked by any of the available networks. After all, they practically do not intersect with each other.
You can also find out information about how strong a particular signal is.
To do this, go to the “Properties” tab “Channels”. The performance rating will be displayed as stars.
Although such an application will not take up much space in the phone’s memory, after the test is completed, you can simply delete it and, if necessary, download it again. It does not take a lot of time.
On the phone version, there is also a tab with a speedometer, which is responsible for the signal frequency. This feature is very convenient.
To choose the best quality, the user needs to move around the area and pay attention to the arrow indicators.
When she is in her highest place, your search work is done.
Same as in the version for personal computer, you can enable sound for this page.
Then, as the quality increases, the sound output from the device will also increase.
And launch NetSpot. By default, the program will open in Search Mode, which will help you monitor the wireless networks around you in real time. Please note - NetSpot remembers the active mode before exiting the program - search mode or polling mode.
Step 2
Search and scan mode
In search mode, within a few seconds you will receive the first data about surrounding wireless networks. And the longer NetSpot works in search mode, the more accurate and complete the data received will be.
Step 3All found Wi-Fi networks are clearly visible
Search mode in NetSpot 2.x is a separate interactive list with information about all unhidden wireless networks. The list is updated depending on the interval you set, every 5-10-30 seconds. If a network disappears, you will still be able to see it for a while and determine how long ago it disappeared.
Step 4Scan Wi-Fi networks
To stop scanning, simply click on the "Pause" button in the lower left part of the program window. The scan will be paused until you start it again. If too many found wireless networks are displayed, you can filter them by any parameter or simply exclude them from the general list.
Step 5
Multifunctional radio space scanning
In NetSpot Search Mode, you can configure a list to display the parameters of interest for the found networks; this list is configured by right-clicking on the table header. Typically, users are interested in signal strength, network name, network signal-to-noise ratio, BSSID, channel, mode, security, etc. You can also configure the order in which parameters are displayed: just press and hold the parameter of interest in the table header and move it left/right depending on its priority.
Step 6
Visualization and export
NetSpot provides the ability to visualize and export the received data. To visualize the data, click in the lower left part of the “Details” window, where you can see a graph built in real time and analyze the received data for the network of interest. To export the received data to CSV, click "Export" on the main toolbar.
Today there is a router in almost every home. But such an abundance Wi-Fi routers could not but affect the quality of the signal.
Very often networks overlap one another and interruptions in the Internet signal occur. And this despite the fact that he is strong and nothing visible should interfere with him.
The reason may just be the overlap of several access points on one channel. For apartment buildings this problem is especially relevant. Only the user should distinguish between problems with the signal and the router. This is how a smartphone on the Android platform completely freezes at the stage of downloading torrent files. Here the reason is different.
Wi-Fi breaks can occur as follows:
- A tablet or smartphone behaves as it wants - when it connects normally to the network signal, when it doesn’t connect at all;
- A sharp drop in download speed without good reason (and low speed is also observed on internal resources);
- Communication is lost in a certain place in the apartment, where there are no barriers.
The reason for all these troubles is precisely the use of the same communication channel by many points of wireless routers. Subsequently, congestion of this channel leads to low speed and connection interruptions.
Solving a problem quickly means changing the channel. Most users don’t even know how to analyze this situation and how to change the “Auto” setting on their router.
How to change the communication channel to different types routers can be read at this link.
Help you analyze the status of your wireless network free programs, which can be downloaded without problems on the Internet for:
- smartphones with different platforms;
- laptops and PCs.
There are thirteen channels in total for signal transmission in Russia. So, of these 13, the first, sixth and eleventh channels do not intersect. But not all countries use 13; in the USA, for example, only 12 are allowed. For different versions operating system There are specific features regarding the use of certain channels.
So Windows 10 does not see channel 13, and in the router settings it is impossible to change the region to Europe in order to correct access to this channel.
Version 7 of the OS also does not see channels larger than 12. Therefore, when choosing another unloaded channel, this must be taken into account.
This is exactly what analyzer programs are needed to identify free channels, configure the router on them and work calmly.
If the user has a problem connecting to any channel or the signal lags due to channel congestion, then you can ask the technical support of the official Windows website for answers to your questions.
The most convenient and simple programs that analyze the occupancy of communication channels are the following:
- inSSIDer 4 - download;
- Free Wi-Fi Scanner - download;
These programs will help you learn other useful information about networks. You can recognize the type of security and signal speed. Convenient graphs help you analyze the signal. The figure below shows how different users overlap on the channels and which access point has the highest frequency signal.
An example of network analysis using InnSider
When downloading the program from the official website, the user should pay attention to the terms of use. Very often today they offer only demo versions of programs with a period of use of no more than a month. after that you need to buy the program.
As can be seen from the picture, after analysis it is clearly seen that the most crowded channel is 6. That is, you should disconnect from it and select free 2, 3, or 4, or any other except the first and eleventh, which are also already occupied.
Network analyzer for Android
Most convenient for smartphone on the Android platform, use the Wi-Fi Analyzer program. No problems searching or downloading. The user accesses the service via his phone Google Play and through a search finds this application and downloads it. When the smartphone is turned on, you can download the application via a PC.
After installation, you can go into the program and analyze communication channels. It will be immediately visible at what frequency the router operates and on what channel. All this will be indicated on the available charts. Just select channels and properties in the settings.
That is, in the illustrative example there is no need to change anything, because the signal does not intersect with almost anyone. In the same program, you can select the “channels” tab in the properties and see which channel has the highest and best signal. The rating is indicated by stars.
The example shows that the best signal without interference is on channels 12,13 and 14. The program installs quickly and erases quickly. Therefore, users should not be afraid that the application will take up a lot of memory on the device.
There is another convenient tab in the same application that will show the signal frequency. With such a pointer, you can move around the apartment and choose exactly the place where the signal will be the strongest.
How to change automatic channel selection on a D-Link router?
There are a huge number of routers on the market today. But according to statistics, the most frequently purchased model is the D-Link model. How can I disable auto channel selection on it?
To do this, dial in address bar Internet address 192.168.0.1. In the window that opens, type admin in both login and password. Unless the user himself changed them. The standard login and password are always written to back cover boxes from under the router.
A window appears, in which you select “advanced settings”, and then the basic ones, as in the figure above. After selecting the basic properties of the wireless network, you should find the “channel” line in the window that appears and select from it the free channel that any program for analyzing communication channels showed.
After this, the connection may be interrupted briefly and restarted again. If this does not happen, you need to check the router settings again and if there is a dialog box in the upper right corner asking you to save changes, you need to click and save it. After this, the data transfer and download speed should increase.
With the help of such simple manipulations, any user today can correct minor errors in the wireless network in their apartment without calling a technician or paying for their services.
So, how to choose this very high-speed and high-frequency wireless communication channel?
- Launch the analyzer program;
- Determine a free channel;
- Find a place in the apartment with the most high frequency reception
- Check non-overlapping channels (1,6,11 - if they are free) at this frequency, for example, reception speed and jumps;
- Install the selected free channel with a high reception frequency - reconfigure the router, accept the changes.
Thus, fixing problems with lost signal and lost speed turned out to be very simple, you just need to strictly follow the above steps.
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