WiFi is an incredibly useful communication protocol that is widely used. In fact, it’s the de facto standard used to create wireless networks in homes, businesses, public spaces etc.
However, it’s not uncommon for signal strength to degrade due to a variety of factors, including distance from the access point, obstacles, competing WiFi signals, and appliances.
WiFi heat map software can create an accurate map of signal strength during a site survey, producing a graphical representation of hot, cold, and dead areas.
Available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, WiFi Analyzer and Scanner is a popular free app. It has been installed more than a million times. Not only is this a good tool for finding the right WiFi channel to connect to when you are out, but it can also help you find the best location in your home for your own WiFi router. 10 Best Wifi Analyzer Windows or MAC. Wifi Analyzer and Scanner is a free to use app which means you get to use amazing features for absolutely nothing. Trusted by over 1 million users around the world, this app has great features to offer the users. Some of them are determination of best Wifi sources in your area, history graph for various.
Many professionals responsible for installing and maintaining WiFi networks will find a lot of value to WiFi heat map software in order to implement an environment with the best wireless coverage and performance possible.
I have done my research and curated the top heat map tools in the market in the list below. Some of them are even free so they can benefit a person who wants something simple for smaller environments.
Keep in mind though that for a large scale enterprise site survey you will need professional gear (wifi hardware with specialized interface cards etc) so that you can get the best results.
Ekahau HeatMapper
The Ekahau Heatmapper is a small package that only takes a single minute to install. Being free also makes it well worth a look for anyone who is having WiFi coverage issues.
It comes in two versions, the free HeatMapper one which is for home and SOHO use and also the Ekahau Pro version which is a commercial solution for Enterprise use.
Even though it only works on Windows, it can easily be installed on a laptop for best portability while moving around the area.
It will find all available access points in the area, and supports typical WiFi standards, including 802.11n and a/b/g.
After you install the tool on a Windows laptop and start the app, you will need to walk around in the house or office space (i.e site-surveying) so that the software will pick up all the available wireless signals and access points in the area.
After the site-survey (limited to 15 minutes of survey) you will get a heat-map with colors and signal strength numbers (in dBm) of the area. This will help you to adjust the location of access points or wifi routers, change channels for lowering interference etc.
As we mentioned above, if you need something more powerful for a commercial enterprise, it’s worth looking at the big brother of this software – Ekahau Pro. This includes many more analysis and troubleshooting features. Securecrt 7.0 license key generator. You will need also to get some professional hardware gear for big scale surveys of large buildings.
Price
NetSpot
One of the best things about NetSpot is that you get a professional level WiFi analysis tool for free, with the option to upgrade to the enterprise version for even more advanced capabilities.
It works on both Mac OS as well as on Windows (7,8,10), and provides a huge amount of information in a small package.
NetSpot will help you to work out where the hotspots and coldspots are, as well as the dead zones. It will help anyone to put together the optimum WiFi network for home, SOHO or larger environments.
When you fire up the free Netspot app, you will start getting information such as:
So, just like the previous tool in this list, you can just walk around in the area with your laptop and start surveying the facility to get a heat map of the wireless signals. This will help you re-arrange access points if needed or change channels for better coverage.
Price
Both free and paid versions are available.
The paid Enterprise version is priced at $499 for up to 10 users.
SolarWinds WiFi Heat Map
SolarWinds may not be free, but what it does is quite amazing. It quickly produces a WiFi heat map that will update in real time. This allows you to see any dead spots and their possible causes.
The other great thing about SolarWinds is that the maps it produces are attractive, intuitive, and very easy to understand. This makes it one of the easiest to understand WiFi heat mapping packages around.
It even discovers and maps all connected client devices within 3 meters. This can help in resolving problems with users that complain about their wifi reception. You can find out if the problem is their location or their client device.
By importing a background image of the office or room plan, you then drag and drop the wireless points on the map (routers, access points etc) to create the heat map.
It even supports creation of network diagrams using Microsoft Visio.
Price:
The wifi heat map functionality is offered under Solarwinds NPM (Network Performance Monitor) which is priced at $2,995 (starting price).
Acrylic WiFi Heat Maps
This is high level site mapping software that provides a bunch of great features, including geo-mapping extension through GPS, multiple parameter display, analysis of signal strength and quality in every location, export of CSV data for use in other tools, and multiple levels of reports that can be generated. https://clevergolden909.weebly.com/blog/mac-set-startup-apps.
It’s not free but its licensing is simple. You can get a 1 month, 3 month, 1 year or perpetual license according to your needs and how often you want to use the tool.
Some of the features I like about this software is that you can calculate how many access points are needed, find out the best place to install the wifi access points or routers in the area etc.
This means that you must define the area map on the tool and then start placing the wifi end-points with their characteristics.
Price
AirMagnet Survey Pro
This product is designed in a fashion that even non-technical people can understand and use it easily.
AirMagnet Survey Pro can generate a WiFi heat map on a single walkthrough. It can also allow you to see optimal positioning of access points through a simulation. This allows you to compare different WiFi network configurations in real time to see how they will perform.
What this allows is for any company to see how an end user would experience the WiFi network. Doing this will highlight any hot spots, cold spots, and dead zones.
Pc Wifi Analyzer For Windows
What I like about this software is that it helps the professional to calculate the ideal quantity, placement, and configuration of WiFi access points for a successful deployment.
The software can be installed on a laptop, notebook PC or tablet running Microsoft Windows versions 7,8,10 or Apple Macbook Pro.
The vendor recommends also various wireless adapters that are supported or you can even buy their Multi-Adapter Kit.
Price
Price range between $3500-$4500 (price may vary, you must contact the vendor).
![]() VisiWave Site Survey
Visiwave Site Survey generates one of the most beautiful WiFi heat maps in this list. It will map every detail and visualizes the WiFi signal data in both two dimensional and three dimensional maps with color coding for intuitive interpretation.
Visiwave also features GPS integration and will generate reports for further study and analysis.
One feature that many people will find useful is the predictive survey function. Using this function, one can input walls and other obstacles and have Visiwave predict what the WiFi heat map will look like. This makes it easy to predict WiFi coverage even before an office is built.
What I like about this tool is that on its report generated from the software you can visualize also the data rate bandwidth or each point in the map.
Price
There are various pricing options available depending on the features and capabilities. Here are some options:
WiFi Heat Map – Network Analyzer and Signal Meter
If you would prefer a simpler approach with ultimate portability, then the WiFi heat map on the Google Play Store is a good candidate. Despite the fact that it has in-app purchases, it can be used for free.
By uploading a copy of your home’s floor plan, you can easily overlay a heat map of WiFi signal strength.
If you don’t have your floor plan available, the application has a built-in floor plan creator. It’s even possible to use GPS for outdoor areas and then upload to Google earth for an integrated WiFi map that anyone can access.
Price
Free
TamoGraph
Many WiFi heat map tools are quite complex, but Tamograph prioritizes both speed and user-friendly operation. It works with all of the common standards, including 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax.
Because Tamograph is so fast and easy to use, it cuts down the waiting time and the time spent on learning new tools.
The maps are very easy to understand and interpret and it even works with GPS for outdoor area heat mapping. It may not be free, but it’s much more affordable than other similar tools and is also easier to use.
In order to acquire the full capabilities of this tool, the vendor recommends getting the boxed version of Tamograph which includes a compatible 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac USB adapter and a 4 GB USB flash drive with installation software or the bundle option with the USB spectrum analyzer card.
Price
Aruba Airwave
Aruba Airwave offers a comprehensive and detailed look into all wired and wireless access points, including any mobile devices present.
This presents a map that is accurate down to the granular level and is ideal for IT professionals in the workplace and those onsite performing detailed site surveys. Best photo album app mac.
Aruba Airwave also includes a comprehensive performance monitoring feature that can look at how applications are using WiFi and whether they pose a risk to mission critical business applications.
This tool offers multivendor support in addition to Aruba Networks such as Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, HP, Dell, Alcatel-Lucent etc.
Regarding deployment, the software either comes as standalone for installing on a VM or a pre-installed appliance.
Price
Best Free Wifi Analyzer App Ios
You need to contact the sales team of Aruba.
WiFi Analyzer Mobile App
WiFi Analyzer mobile is the ideal tool for those who just need a simple and attractive tool so that they can better understand their network. It may not feature all of the bells and whistles of higher end and professional applications, but it displays an attractive graph that allows anyone to see at a glance any WiFi congestion.
What WiFi analyzer does best is allow anyone to work out the best channel for their WiFi, taking into account interference from nearby networks as well as connection speeds and signal strength.
Obviously this is better suited for home use and for optimizing your home or small office WiFi coverage.
It runs on Android smartphone as app, which offers great mobility and an easy to understand interface. Download from onedrive to mac.
Conclusion
WiFi is critical to most modern businesses these days, but it is not a foolproof protocol. Working out the best layout for a WiFi network has never been easier with so many tools available. Whether you are at home or in the workplace, these WiFi heat mapping tools can help you to get a better connection and a better optimization of your WLAN network.
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When it comes to WiFi technology, either in a home network setting or in an enterprise environment, the major issue most people struggle with is poor wireless coverage and dead spots.
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Unfortunately, the nature of all wireless signals is such that they suffer from interference, they get blocked by objects in their path etc.
Two of the main factors causing WiFi problems have to do with bad placement of the WiFi router or Access Point and also bad channel selection in a frequency band that has interference from other wireless devices.
In order to fix the two problems above (and many others), you need to have “visibility” in the wireless spectrum and signals that exist in your space. This obviously can’t be done with a naked eye.
This is where WiFi analyzer tools/software come into play.
As the name suggests, WiFi analyzers are designed to uncover potential problems with your WiFi by measuring and displaying in a graphical form all wireless signals and frequency channels/bands in your home or work network.
Depending on the program that you choose, the software will be able to do a number of things ranging from helping you find the best place for the router/access-point to giving you essential information about your network as well as other networks around you.
For example, if you run your WiFi router at channels 1, 6 or 11 (which are usually the default channels configured on WiFi devices), there is a high chance that many other neighboring routers work at the same channels as well. This will cause interference and therefore loss in signal strength and quality.
Therefore, If you want to optimize your WiFi, you are definitely going to want to have a WiFi analyzer.
Here are 12 of the best analyzers out there that are compatible with the Windows Operating System such as Windows 7 , Windows 10 etc.
(Note that the list below is in no particular order.)
Table of Contents
1) WiFi Analyzer From Windows Store![]()
There’s a good chance that a WiFi analyzer from the Windows Store itself is going to be reliable, considering that Microsoft has a reputation to hold up.
While the app itself is free, there are in-app purchases that you can make, so keep this in mind.
It can perform all the basic functions of a WiFi analyzer on the free version, meaning that you don’t have to drop a penny to learn more about your own network. Ophcrack windows 7.
If you are running a Windows laptop, then this is definitely a software to look at because you can just install the app and turn your laptop into a spectrum analysis tool.
The app will show all WiFi devices emitting signals in your vicinity and also the strength and channel number of each device.
If you see that there are many other WiFi routers working on the same channel as your own router, then you must change your own channel to avoid all this interference. This is how I managed to improve considerably my own home wifi signal.
2) Acrylic Wi-Fi Home Scanner
The Acrylic scanner is designed to be used at home, rather than at businesses or other areas, and is free for Windows 10. Note however that there is also a Professional version (paid) which is for larger scale projects.
Not only will it scan WiFi, but it will also be able to visualize channels for you in both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz.
This means that you can easily scan your 802.11AC dual band network which is the most-used protocol in wifi right now. Moreover, it even supports 802.11AX which is the newest WiFi 6 standard that will dominate the technology in the future.
It can show you the signal strength of the WiFi network through graphs and the free version is completely compatible with Windows 10. This program will also show you all available wireless devices that are around you, such as smartphones, laptops, routers etc.
3) Ekahau HeatMapper Free
Ekahau is slightly different than other WiFi analyzers. While it does do analytics like the other tools, it also shows you a heatmap of your area, showing where the strongest signal is and whether or not walls are interfering with the signal getting to you.
This tool is one of the most popular heat map apps used by thousands of home users and professionals alike.
The HeatMapper version is free but they offer also an Enterprise version, the Ekahau Pro edition.
Basically you can map out all signals available in your area together with all access points and routers.
Like the two previous apps in the list, it will help you locate the best position to place your own WiFi router and also the best channel to configure on your devices for the lowest interference.
Keep in mind that it works only on Windows for now.
4) NetSpot
Like many other network analyzers, NetSpot offers the same type of analytics involving signal strength and coverage, where you can move around to get a signal map, and so on.
However, it offers a little bit more than just that. NetSpot advertises itself as a professional app for wireless site surveys, meaning that it could very well be used in business environments in addition to SOHO.
While it is completely compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10, it can also be used on Mac, which can be helpful if your laptop happens to be a Macbook instead of a traditional Windows computer.
How to see all my apps on macbook pro. One feature I like about NetSpot is that you can also test the WiFi speed that can be achieved in every spot of your network area. This is possible with NetSpot’s Active Scanning feature.
There is a free and paid version of this tool. Even the free version offers so many features that will be very useful for most users.
5) Vistumbler
Vistumber, unlike some other WiFi scanners, is a relatively old and mature program. Of course, it is still updated regularly (the latest version supports also Windows 10), so you won’t have to worry about this.
This program was written in AutoIT for windows, and it is designed to map out the access points around you based on wireless and GPS data, visualizing it onto a map for your convenience. Secret of mana download.
While this might be more helpful for people who need to find access points rather than troubleshoot their WiFi connections, there is no denying that it can be an incredibly useful program for many people, plus it is completely free.
6) Solarwinds WiFi Network Analyzer
One of the things that Solarwinds WiFi Analyzer prides itself on is that it can quickly detect and resolve any WiFi issues that you might be having without you needing to stress over it.
In fact, it boasts a customizable dashboard, allowing you to pick and choose which settings are the most important to you.
You can also monitor other wireless networks, check their parameters (such as security settings, channels etc) and manage them in a business setting, making it another program better suited for business use, rather than home use.
This program offers a free trial for 30 days before you need to consider paying money for it, so there is plenty of time to see how useful it can be.
The specific WiFi Network Analyzer is a module of the well-known and mature Network Performance Monitor (NPM) tool from Solarwinds which is one of the most popular Network Management applications out there.
The disadvantage of this tool is that you have to pay for it after the initial 30-day trial.
7) Nirsoft WifiInfoView
This is another free app in our list. Nirsoft WifiInfoView works on both Mac. and Windows OS (from Windows Vista up to Win 10).
This program can provide information about the wireless networks in your area, including the network name (SSID), the MAC address, the PHY type, RSSI, and so on, providing you with ample information about the wireless networks in your area.
What I like about this free little utility is that it is lightweight and also displays information about the brand of each WiFi router in your area.
8) PRTG WiFi Analyzer
Similar to Solarwinds above, PRTG is another commercial tool that is mostly suited for professional use in business environments.
PRTG has several functions that you might find useful if you are trying to keep an eye on the network you are responsible to operate and manage.
For instance, you can monitor your devices status, seeing both the up and downtime that it has so that you can determine if your WiFi connectivity is available.
It can also inform you about the network load and when it is getting too high, so that you can make sure you aren’t downloading anything important when the network is strained.
Another thing that PRTG can offer is showing how much traffic goes through both your regular network and your wireless one.
9) inSSIDer
As the clever name of this product might suggest, this program gives you visibility in your surrounding WiFi environment.
You will be able to learn information about the network you are connected to, choose the right channel for your needs, and even monitor user traffic data.
This program is updated regularly, so you won’t have to worry too much about anything going wrong because of an out-of-date issue, which is something that many people can appreciate.
The tool is mostly useful in SMB (Small to Medium Business) networks and many professionals that install and sell wifi products and services have found this tool very helpful in their job.
Note that there is a small subscription price to use this tool.
10) WiFi Analyzer and Scanner
This is another program that is offered on the Microsoft store, so you can generally expect it to be a reasonably reputable program.
With over one million installs on a variety of platforms, WiFi Analyzer and Scanner will assist you with finding the best place to get a WiFi signal, giving you a graphed form of the signal strength, and it even recommends the best channel for you to use.
There have been some reported issues with some versions of Windows 10 and this app, so you should be wary of that. Aside from this, this particular app is well-liked and very versatile.
11) WiFi Commander
WiFi Commander is designed specifically with Windows 10 in mind, so if you are using that as your primary operating system, then you might find that this app has everything you need in it.
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It provides a 3D analysis of channel distributions, allows you to scan for any networks, provides real-time monitoring, and so on.
This program is incredibly well-rounded, and it doesn’t have any ads in it, which is something that most users can appreciate. Instead, you will be able to focus on getting the most out of your WiFi.
Best Wifi Analyzer Mac
The most impressive characteristic of this app is its polished and 3D graphical interface which offers great user experience. Other than that, it includes all important scanning and analysis features of the other apps in our list here.
You can download the app from the Windows store which costs $4.99.
12) WiFi Scanner by AccessAgilityWifi Channel Analyzer Mac
WiFi Scanner by AccessAgility specializes in letting you compare surrounding networks and channels around you so that you can find the one that best suits your own network.
It will also provide information that you might need if you are trying to troubleshoot a network issue, meaning that it is wonderful for trying to problem solve a situation.
You can filter and sort the neighboring networks as you please, while you also have the ability to visualize the conflicts that some signal interferences might cause.
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What I like about this app is that you can save and import each scan session so that you have a history of the environment over time. Very useful to compare changes in the wireless spectrum over a period of time.
The app can be purchased for just $14.99.
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