Wireless network tester software

Finding why your AP's are having a bad day can be as simple as changing a channel or moving an object that creates interference. A proper penetration tester can also help you identify where your weak security spots are, and improve them accordingly. In this article we will be covering 25 tools which are a mix of top control and traffic analyzers, security auditors, and monitoring tools to help you narrow down issues and security flaws in your network.

We love these tools because they provide the functionality for analyzing, securing, monitoring, and troubleshooting a WiFi network. Some of these are free, open-source, others are inexpensive, and others might be more appropriate for the enterprise.

We reviewed the market for wireless network monitoring software and analyzed the tools based on the following criteria:. With these selection criteria in mind, we have found some great WiFi analyzers for you to try and we found tools that will run on each of the major operating systems. It also provides you with an overview of wireless network connectivity, coverage, performance, throughput , and network security issues.

N etAlly AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer PRO is our top pick for a Wifi analysis tool because it works straight out of the box and has a great dashboard that squeezes in a lot of graphs about the performance and attributes of the nearby APs that it detected. Catch The system has a great interference detection system that can explain any reception problems that your users are experiencing.

It helps you optimize your WiFi network for the best performance. It can also help you troubleshoot bandwidth bottlenecks, pinpoint interference, and trouble spots. It includes their SSID, channel, and more information. It is also capable of detecting rogue APs.

The dashboard shows WiFi information in real-time and allows you to optimize performance and troubleshoot your wireless networks. The software scans your surroundings and shows you an overview of the nearby WiFi APs.

Download: Acrylic WiFi Home edition for free. WiFiInfoView also comes with a summary mode, which groups all wireless information found, by channel number, PHY type, or speed. Download: WiFiInfoView from its official site. Homedale from the SZ development is a free WiFi monitoring and scanner software.

The software supports Download: Homedale from its official site. It allows you to scan The software can also create WiFi heatmaps, so you can identify where the signal leakages or dead zones are. Download: the NetSpot free edition. With iStumbler, you can view the location of all discovered WiFi networks, track the movement of your computer. You can also export the location database and movement to Google Earth.

You can use it, to measure and visualize LizardSystems WiFi Scanner is an advanced scanner for It displays all collected data into the dashboard, along with a real-time signal strength line graph. Ekahau HeatMapper is a free WiFi site survey and mapping tool. Ekahau HeatMapper supports The software detects and records the WiFi signal while roaming around the coverage area in your home or office. The graphical representation of a heatmap allows you to see from the strongest to the weakest signal point in your wireless networks.

Since Wi-Fi downtime has grown so exponentially costly, using a preventive Wi-Fi analysis software can greatly improve organizational return on investment, paying for itself in no time. NetSpot is another excellent Wi-Fi scanner and analyzer.

Its main strength lies in its capacity to facilitate network planning: like SolarWinds NPM, NetSpot uses a heat visualization to reveal dead zones and noisy areas where channel interference could lead to problems. This enables IT administrators to approach network construction with a solid understanding of how the environment could interact with the network, thereby avoiding topological missteps. In addition, NetSpot has productive survey capabilities to aid in network security.

Its free Wi-Fi analyzer detects unauthorized APs and workstations and can scan neighboring networks to discover their name, channel information, password protection, and more. The main downside of NetSpot is that even its paid version lacks the intelligent tracking, metrics, and notification system NPM offers, making it less useful for troubleshooting than it is for network planning and discovery.

This visualization tends to be too cluttered to be immediately useful; however, PRTG collects a good deal of data to inform Wi-Fi troubleshooting. Overall, as a network performance monitoring tool, PRTG is great for integrating Wi-Fi analysis with other infrastructure monitoring. To this point, however, some have criticized its licensing model, which can get expensive for larger organizations due to its sensor-based pricing schedule.

As is to be expected, the Professional package comes with many additional features. The professional version can generate an assessment of network quality when you click on the service set identifier SSID of a nearby network. It then rates the network, out of five stars, on its Acrylic Wi-Fi Professional also has the capacity to run a brute-force hack to ascertain password strength.

Microsoft Wifi Analyzer for Windows is appealing for its simplicity. Its interface is pleasant for being straightforward and uncluttered. With Wifi Analyzer, Windows users can figure out where to install their router and which channel is best for configuration, in addition to scanning the location for access points. Ultimately, Microsoft Wifi Analyzer is best suited to those looking to do a quick sweep.

Created by software developer Arcai. Available for Windows and Android, it has a few notable perks: besides being totally free, it allows you to kick intruders off the network. It scans the surroundings for networks and is touch-friendly for tablets and mobile devices. This app has a unique interface, which is truly beautiful. It populates 3-D graphics of the Wi-Fi landscape, plotting networks in real-time based on their channel distribution, signal level, and specified filters.

It also offers information regarding vendor, security and authentication level, and MAC address. When it comes to maintaining near-constant uptime, reliable high speeds, and the best security possible for their networks, IT departments must manage a wide range of variables. This means following best practices—and choosing the best tools—when configuring a Wi-Fi network, to ensure it works in the service of your organization rather than against it.

You can follow a few basic best practices to ensure your setup is functional. For instance, avoid interference by keeping wireless devices away from noise sources, like microwaves, power cables, and other wireless devices. Prevent dead zones by placing routers strategically, far from impermeable materials, metals, and plaster. Add access points and routers as necessary when the number of network devices or communication volume increases substantially.

Wifi Heatmap. WiFi Analyzer. Not Enough Ratings. Wifi Analyzer. In many ways, Wireshark is the polar opposite of WiFi Analyzer. Just like NetSpot, Wireshark can satisfy the needs of network professionals, but it largely disregards the needs of beginners. The best WiFi signal strength So what signal strength should you be content with? It depends on the tasks you expect to be fulfilled. For example for sending and fetching emails, browsing the Internet, or scanning barcodes, dBm is a decent signal strength.

If you are going to use higher-throughput apps, dBm is more suitable. Some engineers will recommend dBm if you are are interested in supporting mobile iOS or Android devices. Note: The values in the chart below are suggestions. Depending on the requirements of a real-life network the desired WiFi signal strength will vary.

Weak This value of signal strength is considered unreliable and won't suffice for most services. Where you place your router matters a lot, as any WiFi signal meter app, such as NetSpot, can reveal. You want to give your router some space to breathe. Consider the area you want to cover with a WiFi signal and place the router as close to the center of the area as possible for even signal distribution.

If your signal is still weak, consider placing the router somewhere higher, such as on a shelf. Start with security settings. Pick a strong password and use WPA2 encryption to protect yourself against hackers and people looking for free WiFi access. Then, open NetSpot or other WiFi signal strength app and see which channel other wireless networks in your area use. To avoid interference, you want to configure your router to use the least cluttered channel. Luckily, this is as easy as changing one setting.

Use NetSpot or another app to verify the effect of the changed settings on your signal strength. Wireshark — is a cross-platform packet analyzer tool. What is the best WiFi signal strength? Can I measure WiFi signal strength? How can I monitor my WiFi signal? How can I boost my WiFi signal on my laptop Windows 10? Disable Bluetooth connectivity to eliminate signal interference. Set WiFi sensibility value to maximum using Device Manager.

Move closer to the source of the WiFi signal. Have more questions?