We reviewed the market for wireless network monitoring software and analyzed the tools based on the following criteria:
Related Post: Network Traffic Generator for WAN and LAN Stress Testing What should you look for in WiFi monitoring tools? Now let's dig a little deeper into each tool to help you find the one that fits your needs. Some of these are free, open-source, others are inexpensive, and others might be more appropriate for the enterprise. We love these tools because they provide the functionality for analyzing, securing, monitoring, and troubleshooting a WiFi network. Monitoring and Management – Scanner, Inventorying, Site Survey, Stumbler, Spectrum Analyzers, Heat-mappers, Traffic Analysis, Packet Sniffer, etc.Auditing and Security – May do any or some of the following: Scanner, Site Survey, Traffic Analysis, Packet Sniffer, and Pen Tester.WiFi Analyzer – May do any or some of the following: Scanner, Site Survey, Stumbler, Spectrum Analyzers, and Wifi Heatmapper.Below are some of the most common characteristics/processes of the WiFi tools: 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. With the right site survey or stumbler tool, you can solve these issues pretty easily.įinding why your AP's are having a bad day can be as simple as changing a channel or moving an object that creates interference.Ī proper penetration tester can also help you identify where your weak security spots are, and improve them accordingly. Knowing where your signals are, and the neighboring APs is key to keeping your network secure.
Hackers can install rogue AP's or crack your security encryption with the help of sophisticated hardware sniffers.Īnd if you think your wireless stays within your building, think again, you might have lots of signal leakage which allows a hacker to war-drive your network. This is a free tool and it runs on Windows. Ekahau Heatmapper A great tool for visualizing signal footprint and strength on a floorplan that you input.All signals within range are plotted together on one graph for comparison. LizardSystems Wi-Fi Scanner Free for personal use, this tool spots wireless signals on 802.11 a, b, n, g, and ac.You can also feed it a floorplan and get a heatmap. Tamosoft TamoGraph Site Survey This tool discovers wireless signals and lists them, showing the AP’s make and model, signal strength, and throughput rate.iStumbler This wireless network scanner shows a list of all the signals it spotted and the information for each is constantly updated.
Available in free and paid versions for Windows and macOS.
It can overlay signal strength and footprint on your floorplan. NetSpot This utility scans the air for nearby APs and then tracks their signals.Homedale This free wireless network stumbler has some great visualization features, including a signal strength graph and a footprint mapper.This is a reliable and useful identifier of wireless signals that decodes their characteristics. WiFiInfoView by Nirsoft A free Wifi analyzer that is available in a long list of languages.Acrylic WiFi A Wifi identifier that creates a signal quality graph for the wireless broadcasters that it encounters, showing the signal strength of each service.InSSIder by MetaGeek This Wifi visualizer is available in free and paid versions with the paid plan offering more analytical features.
Not only does it slow down the network, allowing access to a wide range of devices can also put your WiFi clients and AP's at risk. To make matters more complicated, business policies such as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) allow users to connect freely to a network.Īll of these devices slow down a network making browser speeds crawl and surfing the net or performing online tasks slow. People used to connect to a WiFi network only with a laptop now, they are bringing all their WiFi-enabled gadgets into the wireless environment, including their smartphones, TVs, smartwatches, speakers, etc.