Sometimes you may need to search for wifi networks. Windows 7, like all other versions, has such a tool at its disposal, but there is a better option.
This free program For search wifi networks — Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector, which you can download for free right here using the direct link at the end of the post.
Xirrus Inspector is a real radar for monitoring networks - of course, for a laptop (computers usually do not have such adapters, but you can install them yourself using the USB interface).
It can be an interesting alternative to Vistumbler and Netstumbler. Using the "Radar" function, the program scans all wireless signals that your adapter can intercept.
Xirrus Inspector allows you to check the speed and quality of the Wireless connection (buttons “Speed Test" and “Quality Test”).
What might this be needed for? In this way, you can determine exactly where to place the router or router in order to get a connection between it and your laptop and then receive a stable, high-quality signal.
One more interesting feature This program is the presence of two buttons that allow you to quickly connect to one of the detected networks.
Flaws?!? Yes, for some people it is one... The program is only available on English language. If this is not a problem for you, then Xirrus Inspector is ideal for you.
How to search for networks with Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector
As mentioned above, this program is not available in Russian. Therefore, you will have to use English to discover networks.
In fact, there are zero difficulties. All you need to do is click on the word “Radar” after launch.
Immediately after this, the process will begin to detect wireless signals. To view the found networks, you don’t need to do anything at all - everything is like on the radar. Searching for wifi networks is easy on the eyes.
It’s a pity, of course, that this analyzer program is not a Russian version, but you can remember a few words in English - they will come in handy in the future.
NOTE: You need to know that the application runs on Windows XP, Vista windows 7 and is compatible with all Wi-Fi adapters, but if you want to use it on Windows 10, you will have to run it in compatibility mode with Windows 7. Good luck.
Developer:
http://www.lopesoft.com/index.php/en/
OS:
XP, Windows 7, 8, 10
Interface:
English
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
Read also: [Instructions] How to set up a router: TP-Link, D-Link and other brands | 2019
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. Dial in search bar a request like “download the Wi-Fi analyzer program from Google Play” 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. So it is very often confused that the smartphone completely freezes on Android platform 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 wireless routers. Subsequently, congestion of this channel leads to low speed and connection interruptions.
To quickly solve a problem 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.
Changing automatic network channel selection on an Asus router
Analyzer programs for computers running Windows 7, 8 and 10
Free programs that can be easily downloaded on the Internet will help you analyze the state of your wireless network 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 The operating system has its own characteristics regarding the use of certain channels.
Schematic representation of overlapping 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 the answers to your questions can be asked to the technical support of the official Windows website.
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.
Wireless network channel analysis with overlay graphs
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.
Analysis of channel fullness
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 logs in via his phone Google service Play and through the search finds this application and downloads it. When the smartphone is turned on, you can download the application via a PC.
Downloading a program from Google Play
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.
Asta operates on frequency 50 and the signal is received on channels 8-10
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.
Signal Strength Measurement Indicator
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, type in the Internet address bar address 192.168.0.1. In the window that opens, type admin in both the 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.
Changing Wireless Network Settings
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 the one in it free channel, which was shown by any program for analyzing communication channels.
Selecting and saving a new communication channel
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 channel wireless communication?
- 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.
To work with large wireless networks, there are a sufficient number of good multifunctional software solutions on the market that allow for comprehensive testing of WiFi networks. However, you will often find it easier to use simpler, free tools to get a quick look at the airwaves during design, deployment, or troubleshooting. We present to your attention an overview of the most interesting free programs for diagnosing WiFi networks.
In this article, we will introduce you to nine free software tools - most of them are powered by operating systems Windows, others - for macOS or Android - which will provide you with basic information about the existing WiFi signals in the coverage area: SSIDs, signal strength, channels used, MAC addresses and types of protection of a particular network. Some can detect hidden SSIDs, determine noise levels, or provide statistics about the successful and unsuccessful packets sent and received on your wireless connection. One of the solutions includes a WiFi password cracking toolkit, which will be extremely useful for finding vulnerabilities and security assessments when testing the hacking resistance of your wireless network.
Note also that most of the tools described below are free versions of commercial solutions distributed by the same vendor, but with reduced functionality.
Wireless scanner local networks Acrylic WiFi Home is a stripped-down version of the commercial solution from Tarlogic Security. Version 3.1, reviewed in this review article, attracts attention, primarily due to the detail of the wireless environment and advanced graphic capabilities displaying the collected information. The functionality of this solution includes: overview of found WiFi networks supporting 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards; detecting unauthorized access points and displaying connected clients; scanning and analysis of WiFi channels used by wireless networks at frequencies of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz; plotting graphs of the received signal level and its power for WiFi access points.
WiFi scanner for Windows Acrylic WiFi Home will allow you to scan and view available wireless networks in real time, provide information about detected WiFi networks (SSID and BSSID), their type of protection and wireless devices connected to the network in this moment, and will also allow you to get a list WiFi passwords(installed by default by manufacturers) thanks to the built-in plugin system.
Being free product Acrylic WiFi Home 3.1 has a simple yet attractive GUI. A detailed list of SSIDs is located at the top of the application. Here, in particular, you can find: negative dBm values for the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), supported 802.11 standard (including 802.11ac) by access points or WiFi routers, manufacturer name, model and MAC addresses network devices. The solution recognizes the bandwidth being used and displays all channels involved. It doesn't look for hidden SSIDs, but may show them if it detects network data indicating the presence of hidden networks. The application also has functionality for inventorying the operation of WiFi networks, allowing you to assign and save the names of detected SSIDs and / or clients (for the free version, this feature has quantitative restrictions on use).
At the bottom of the application screen, by default, visual rating information is displayed for network characteristics selected SSID. There is also a graph of the signal level and power of all detected access points. When you switch to the advanced mode for displaying the status of wireless networks, you will receive two additional graphs - for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands - which simultaneously display information about the channels in use, including those combined into one “wide” channel, and signal level data.
Exporting or saving captured data is extremely inconvenient, since the software company decided to cut down this functionality excessively in the free solution: you can copy at most one line of data to the clipboard and then paste the text into Text Document or spreadsheet. There is also a function for publishing a screenshot on Twitter.
Overall, Acrylic WiFi Home is a good software WLAN scanner, especially considering that it doesn't cost anything. It collects all the basic information about your wireless space and clearly demonstrates the obtained data, both in text and graphical form, which is perfect for simple WiFi network diagnostic tasks. The main disadvantage of this solution can be considered large problems with data export, or rather, the virtual absence of such an opportunity due to the functionality in the free solution that was limited by the manufacturer itself.
AirScout Live (Android)
Greenlee's AirScout Live app turns your Android smartphone into a convenient and portable WiFi network analyzer. AirScout Live has seven operating modes, four of which are completely free to use without any restrictions for Android devices. The commercial version, unlike the free version, is compatible with most desktop computers(Windows) and mobile devices(Android and iOS). With the help of basic functionality, you can quickly, mobilely and, most importantly, solve problems related to insufficient WiFi signal levels in some places in your office or home for free.
AirScout live will show all the characteristics of access points detected within range: from signal strength and security protocols to equipment capabilities. It will allow you to determine the least loaded channel, measure the signal strength at each point of the WiFi network and identify places with insufficient signal strength. Helps identify sources of interference by analyzing channel usage parameters in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Using the program, you can select the optimal location for the location of access points to ensure the highest quality coverage of the premises with a WiFi network and configure it to maximum performance without buying additional equipment. Additionally, the AirScout app allows you to take pictures of your WiFi network and save them locally or upload them to the cloud.
AirScout Live is very easy to use and requires no additional training. The user interface looks attractive and intuitive. The first two menu items - “AP Graph” and “AP Table” - will provide you with visual and comprehensive information about all the characteristics of access points located in the visibility zone. Access point coverage graphs will visually demonstrate to you the dependence of the signal level of each of them and the congestion of channels in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Extended information in tabular form about each access point (SSID, Mac address, equipment vendor, channel used, channel width, received signal level in dBm and security settings) is available in the second menu item.
The “Time Graph” item will allow you to see all the access points that your Android device has detected in the observed location, and their graph of signal level changes in dBm with a time reference. So, for example, if you are exploring a network that consists of multiple access points, this information will help you understand what signal strength each will have at a given location, and how the client device will switch between them. In addition, selecting a specific access point highlights its signal strength, which helps visual perception of information.
The “Signal Strength” item will allow you to visually test the signal level for each access point over time. You can select a specific SSID and see the current, as well as the minimum and maximum signal level recorded by the device for this access point. The original interpretation of the results obtained in the form of a red-yellow-green speedometer will make it possible to clearly see whether a particular function will work in this particular place or not. For example, a stable signal level in the green zone will tell you that here you will not have problems with resource-intensive technologies such as voice over IP or streaming video in Full HD format. Being in the yellow zone will indicate that only web surfing is available. Well, the red zone will mean big problems with receiving a signal from this access point in a given location.
For use additional functions, which are not available in the free version of the software without additional equipment (identification of the most common problems: suboptimal signal coverage or incorrect channel selection; identification of sources of interference, including from “non-WiFi” devices; optimization of configurations of WiFi networks adjacent to networks 802.15.4 standard; tuning WiFi performance by comparing signal strength and usage; Ookla speed test; and more), you'll need an AirScout controller or a kit that includes the controller and remote clients.
AirScout Live is an excellent application that, above all, attracts with its portability. Agree, having a tool that will always be at hand is worth a lot. In the free version of the product you have access to all necessary information, which you may need to quickly analyze the health of small office or home WiFi networks and identify underlying performance problems. An intuitive interface and competent graphic design of the obtained measurement results not only leave a good impression, but also help speed up the work with the application.
Cain & Abel is a multi-purpose operating room application Windows systems for recovering and cracking passwords, which is also equipped with tools for intercepting and analyzing network traffic, including WiFi networks. Like its predecessor (Acrylic WiFi Home), Cain & Abel is a powerful network analyzer capable of capturing and processing most wireless network traffic.
Its graphical interface has a relatively ancient, simplified look. The toolbar (old style with icons at the top of the screen) is used to launch various utilities. Access to the main functional parts of the application is provided through window tabs.
Through the “Wireless” tab we get access to functional tools for analyzing the network traffic of WiFi networks. In addition to the usual information about SSIDs and various signal information, a list and detailed information about connected clients can also be found here. For access points and clients, Cain & Abel provides information about the number of packets detected: all packets, WEP Initialization Vector (WEP IV) and ARP requests. Any hidden SSIDs discovered from the captured packets will be displayed in the GUI. Most of the intercepted statuses and data can be exported to a simple text file.
Despite the enormous functional potential of this solution, such shortcomings as the lack of visual graphs, as well as the inability to recognize 802.11ac access points and determine wider channels, do not allow us to call Cain & Abel best choice for monitoring and analyzing WiFi networks. This solution is worth paying attention to if your tasks go far beyond simple traffic analysis. With it, you can recover Windows passwords, perform attacks to obtain lost credentials, examine VoIP data on the network, analyze packet routing, and much more. This is a really powerful tool for system administrator with broad powers.
Ekahau HeatMapper is a mapping software tool for deploying small home-level wireless networks and determining the optimal location for access point installation. This is simplified free version professional solutions from Ekahau. The software Provides the same network information as a WiFi wireless network scanner, but also generates a WiFi heat map so you can visualize signal levels. For the purposes of this review, we will focus on version 1.1.4.
The software offers the ability to create a plan or layout of the site being studied, as well as design a wireless network topology using a grid for rough orientation.
The left side of the main UI screen displays a list of wireless networks and their details, sorted by signal, channel, SSID, MAC address, and security type. This list includes basic information, but does not contain signal strength in dBm or percentage. In addition, the application does not recognize networks that support the 802.11ac standard, identifying them as 802.11n.
Using Ekahau HeatMapper, as with other mapping tools, you plot your current location on a map while you walk around a building to generate a heat map WiFi coverage. Ekahau HeatMapper will automatically calculate the location of access points and place them on the map. Once all the data has been collected, an interactive heat map of WiFi coverage will be generated. So, for example, when you hover the cursor over the access point icon, its coverage will be separately highlighted; and when you hover your cursor over a heatmap area, a tooltip window will appear for the received signal strength indicator with a negative dBm value for that point.
According to reviews software solution Ekahau HeatMapper is an overly simplified WiFi mapping scanner: the manufacturers removed almost all additional functionality from the free version, making this decision really home version. Moreover, the only available opportunity To export or save, simply take a screenshot of the map.
However, the Ekahau HeatMapper solution can be used for small networks or to get a basic understanding of how more professional map-based tools work.
Homedale Software Utility is a relatively simple and portable (no installation required) wireless network scanner for Windows (currently version 1.75 available) and macOS (currently available version 1.03) operating systems with an optional interface command line. In addition to displaying basic information about wireless networks and signals, this utility also supports location determination using GPS and other positioning technologies.
This utility has a simple graphical interface that resembles more of a dialog box with several tabs than a full-fledged application. The first tab "Adapters" displays a list of all network adapters, as well as their IP gateways and MAC addresses.
The Access Points tab contains many important information. It doesn't list the 802.11 standard for each SSID, but you will find all supported data rates, as well as all channel numbers used by each SSID at a given time, including those with larger channel widths. It also doesn't list hidden networks, but does show other network data that indicates the presence of hidden SSIDs. Also very useful function is the ability to save notes for individual SSIDs, which can then be included in any data export.
In the Access Point Signal Graph tab, you will find the change in negative dBm values for the received signal strength metric over time for all selected SSIDs. The implementation of access to this functionality cannot be called very convenient and intuitive - the selection of wireless networks for monitoring and comparison is made by double clicking on desired SSID from the list of the previous “Access Points” tab.
The “Frequency of Use” tab illustrates in real time a graphical dependence of the frequencies used by each SSID (for convenience, divided into channels) and signal level values. Channel usage visualizations are displayed for the 2.4 GHz band and each subset of the 5 GHz band. The utility performs its task - visually demonstrates the occupancy of each channel - but it would be more convenient if we had the opportunity to have a single view of the 5 GHz frequency, instead of dividing it into four separate graphs.
In addition, Homedale offers excellent opportunities for both free application, to export the collected data. Thus, it supports saving the network list in a table form in CSV format, logging the results of each scan (useful if you move while scanning), and also saving an image of each graph.
Despite its very simple graphical user interface, Homedale provides more advanced functionality than you might expect. In addition, I would like to note that, for a free program, the capabilities of recording and exporting data, as well as determining location, are quite impressive.
LizardSystems offers a free version of their WiFi Scanner software for non-commercial use that has the same features and functionality as their paid product. Currently version 3.4 of the solution is available. In addition to the WiFi scanner, this solution also offers excellent analytics and reporting functionality.
The application has a modern graphical interface, intuitive and easy to use. The Scanner tab provides a list of detected SSIDs. In addition to the standard detailed information, you will also find signal strength values in both negative dBm and percentage values. It even shows the number of clients that are connected to each SSID. Also, along with the 802.11 standards specification, the solution can detect and report multiple channels used by any SSID with a larger channel width.
You can use the list of visible SSIDs to filter input based on the following parameters: signal strength, supported 802.11 standard, security types, and used frequency bands. At the bottom of the Scanner tab are graphs that you can switch between. In addition to typical graphs showing signal strength and channels used, visualizations of data rates, channel load and number of clients are also available. The bottom of the screen displays information about your current connection. In the "Advanced Information" tab you will find various data about network activity, up to the number of unprocessed packets.
The Current Connection tab displays more detailed information about the current wireless connection. Here you will access and manage the list of wireless network profiles saved in Windows 10, which can be useful because in this latest version The Windows operating system no longer provides native access to and management of this list. The Wireless Statistics tab provides graphs and statistics for various types packets, both for the physical (PHY) layer and for the data link (MAC) layer, which will be useful for conducting advanced network analysis.
LizardSystems WiFi Scanner software solution offers advanced exporting and reporting capabilities. Basic functionality allows you to save a list of networks in text file. Additionally, you can generate reports summarizing the types of networks found in the scan, with all SSID data logged, any comments you added, and snapshots of the graphs. These are pretty impressive features for a freely available WiFi scanner.
In summary, LizardSystems WiFi Scanner really impresses with its functionality, including output filtering and reporting capabilities, as well as advanced information about the data packets being transmitted. It can be an important part of your go-to toolkit for maintaining and testing WiFi networks, but keep in mind that the free license is only available for personal use.
NetSpot (Windows and macOS)
NetSpot is a software solution for researching, analyzing and improving WiFi networks. The commercial version uses mapping tools for thermal visualization of coverage areas, but the free version for home use it is not available. However, this solution is proposed both for operating rooms Windows networks, and macOS. In this review article we will look at NetSpot Free versions 2.8 is a free, significantly reduced version of the company's paid products for home and corporate use.
The NetSpot Discover tab is a WiFi scanner. Despite the simple graphical interface, it has a modern appearance, and the network details of each SSID are displayed in bold and clearly visible. Signal levels are shown in negative dBm values (current, minimum and maximum) as well as percentages. Hidden networks are not displayed in the free version, and the ability to export data is not supported (although there is such a button, it is not active).
When you click on the “Details” button at the bottom of the application window, combined graphs of signals and used channels for each WiFi range, generated for the SSID networks selected from the list, are shown. In addition, the signal information of each SSID is displayed in a table view so you can see the exact values received by the application during each scan.
Overall, the free version of NetSpot does a good job of detecting WiFi networks (although it does not support working with hidden networks). But still, free solution has very limited functionality, which is eloquently demonstrated by broken links to a large number of additional features- this is the inaccessibility of visualizations, the inability to use a heat map, and the lack of export.
WirelessNetView (Windows)
WirelessNetView is a small utility from the NirSoft web resource that works in background and monitors the activity of wireless networks around you. It is offered free of charge for personal and commercial use. This is a fairly simple WiFi scanner, available in both portable and installable form. For the purposes of this article, version 1.75 is considered.
The WirelessNetView solution's graphical user interface is not very fancy - it's just a window with a list of wireless networks. For each detected network, the following information is available: SSID, signal quality at the current time, average signal quality over the entire observation period, detection counter, authentication algorithm, information encryption algorithm, MAC address, RSSI, channel frequency, channel number, etc. .
Thus, signal level indicators this utility provides negative dBm values, as well as percentages for the last received signal and the average for the entire observation time. But it would be even better if we also had access to the average values for the RSSI of a particular access point over the entire observation period. Another unique piece of available analytics that WirelessNetView offers is a measure of how often each SSID is detected, which can be useful in certain situations.
Double-clicking on any of the detected wireless networks will open a dialog box with all the information about a particular network, which can be very convenient, since your screen width is clearly not enough to view all the details in the main list. Click right click mouse over any network from the list allows you to save data for that specific wireless network or all detected networks into text or HTML files. The Options toolbar menu displays some options and additional functionality, such as filtering, MAC address format, and other display preferences.
Please note that this utility lacks a number of advanced features that we expect to see in modern WiFi scanners. First of all, we are talking about a graphical presentation of information, full support for the 802.11ac standard and, accordingly, recognition of all channels occupied by an access point that can use a larger channel width. However, the WirelessNetView solution can still be useful for simple monitoring of wireless networks or small WiFi space, especially if you find some of the unique functionality this utility is valuable to you.
Wireless Diagnostics (macOS)
Since OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.4 and later operating systems Apple company provides the Wireless Diagnostics tool. It is more than just a WiFi scanner; it can help detect and fix WiFi connection problems. But the best thing is that it is a native toolkit included in the operating system. For this review, we'll look at the Wireless Diagnostics software solution included with macOS High Sierra (version 10.13).
To get started, press the Option key and then click the Airport/WiFi icon at the top of MacOS. You'll have more detailed information about your current WiFi connection, as well as access to the "Wireless Diagnostics" shortcut.
Opening Wireless Diagnostics will launch a wizard called "Assistant" that may ask for additional information such as the router's make and model, as well as its location. Tests will then be run to detect problems. Once verified, a summary of the results will be shown, and clicking the icon for each result will show expanded details and suggestions.
Although it's not entirely obvious, you also have more tools available to you than just the aforementioned wizard. While the wizard dialog is open, clicking the Window button at the top of the toolbar will provide access to additional utilities.
The Scan utility is a simple WiFi scanner that shows the usual data about detected wireless networks, as well as short description types of networks and best channels. One of its main advantages is that it shows noise levels in WiFi channels, which most of the Windows scanners presented in this article do not show. However, it would be more convenient if all channels that use specific SSIDs with a larger channel width were listed, rather than just showing the channel width and the center channel.
The "Info" utility shows the current network connection and detailed detailed information about signal characteristics. The “Logs” utility allows you to configure WiFi, EAPOL and Bluetooth diagnostic protocols. The “Performance” utility shows line graphs of signal and noise, signal quality and data transfer rate current connection. The Sniffer utility allows you to capture raw wireless packets, which can then be exported to a third-party packet sniffer.
Thus, the utilities included in the Wireless Diagnostics family of operating tools MacOS systems really impressive, especially when compared to native wireless tools for Windows operating systems. You always have a WiFi scanner at your fingertips (which even shows you noise levels) and packet capture capabilities (with subsequent export options), and their troubleshooting "Assistant" seems really smart. However, to visualize WiFi channels, in our opinion, the channel usage graph is not enough.
In addition, to receive additional information Apple offers an excellent tour and guide to using Wireless Diagnostics.
conclusions
Each of the programs we reviewed for diagnosing WiFi networks has its own advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, all these solutions, judging by user reviews, are worthy of downloading and evaluating in action. The choice of the optimal program for each specific case will be different. So try it!
See also:
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