Online map of Wi-Fi signal location. WiFi SiStr is a free utility for displaying the signal strength of Wi-Fi networks

It's no secret that Wi-Fi networks are quite susceptible to interference, and walls and other objects may be encountered along the path of the wireless signal, and after the next such obstacle, the electromagnetic wave may simply not fulfill its purpose. In the age of digital technology, you can visualize anything, even how Wi-Fi signals invisible to the human eye propagate.

When there is a tool that allows you to visually show the signal level immediately on an area map, this makes it much easier to perceive the picture of the network as a whole. Such tools allow you to immediately download a building plan, and by walking through it with the Wi-Fi receiver turned on, you can get heat maps of radio coverage and many other useful data:

The screenshot above was taken in the Acrylic Wi-Fi program (for Windows OS), which allows you to build heat maps using data from Google Map, but there are equally effective software products for mobile devices. Most Windows-based Wi-Fi coverage analysis tools offer a large amount of functionality. By the way, here we reviewed some of them, distributed free of charge, or shareware (demo version and/or with reduced functionality). But if you don't need all the features of advanced Windows applications with identifying sources of interference or better visualization, then Android-based software can help solve a number of important problems.

Wi-Fi coverage analyzer applications on Google Play are not uncommon; there are quite a large number of them there, but when choosing an application we were guided by several factors: free distribution, the ability to build heat maps and the presence of unusual functionality (something more than just channel monitoring). As a result, the list of dozens of applications was reduced to 4. The review included such programs as: Wi-Fi Analyzer and Surveyor, Wi-Fi Visualizer, iMapper Wi-Fi Pro, and WiTuners Mobile:

Wi-Fi Analyzer and Surveyor

Using this Wi-Fi analyzer as an example, we will consider the principle of operation of the application in more detail; for other software products, we will omit some step-by-step configuration items and move directly to analyzing the capabilities.

ManageEngine's Wi-Fi Analyzer and Surveyor app has very simple features and is completely free. The program doesn't even have an extended paid version. The installer weighs about 6 MB. When you open the app, after setting it up for the first time, you can go to the Analyzer or Surveyor page. At the same time, in the Analyzer mode, Wi-Fi networks that your device sees are monitored, and in Surveyor you can add a floor plan from the memory of your device or cloud storage:

After the room map has been added, the application invites you to “walk” around the building and measure the radio coverage at the points where you are; this is done by long pressing on the monitor screen of your smartphone. After you have gone through all the control points, you can complete the “survey” of the territory and display a report by clicking the “End Survey” button. Moreover, if you are taking measurements and a Wi-Fi signal is not detected at a certain point, you will receive a corresponding notification from the program:

The description of the program states that you can photograph the floor plan and load it into the program for further work with it. Let's add a little ambience and see what happens. As initial data, we will select an evacuation plan from a building code-named “Pentagon”, photographed, as indicated in the program description, on the same smartphone:

In the “Surveyor” tab, click “Add Plan” and upload the photo you took directly from the photo gallery. Next, we move to the desired point on the map and click on the smartphone screen, information about the level of the recorded Wi-Fi signal appears on the map. Of course, the good news is that the application remembers the signal level from all available APs at the measured points. The screenshots below show signal levels at measured points for three randomly selected networks:

Please note that the same number of measurements was taken in all three screenshots, but depending on which network you select in the drop-down menu (in our example, these are dlink, uraldelo, WiFi-DOM.ru networks), the signal levels of a specific network are displayed on the map . If the smartphone was unable to detect one of these networks at the measuring points, then it, accordingly, will not be displayed on the map.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to select an individual access point to see its range; you can only select its SSID. The difference is that if several access points use the same SSID, then the application cannot determine whether different equipment creates such a coverage area or one. The application also allows you to display data with a heat map effect, and not only give a report on the signal level at a specified point:

Let's face it, the effect is so-so... There was an assumption that to create a full-fledged heat map, you need to make a fairly large number of measurements, but this idea was not crowned with success:

The HeatMap Report effect only radiates slightly beyond the original size of the dots you see in the Signal Strength report, so in reality you just see blurry dots. As we'll see below, all other Wi-Fi coverage analysis software tools use specific prediction algorithms to fill these gaps and create a more complete heat map without having to walk through every square meter of the building. Therefore, in terms of creating heat maps, the Wi-Fi Analyzer and Surveyor program is not very convenient.

Let's stay a little longer on this program and say a few words about the “Analyzer” tool of the application in question. Here you can find 4 tabs at the bottom of the screen, each of which contains trivial data that is available in almost every similar application:

The “Channel” tab displays information about available access points (APs) and the channels on which they operate in the form of bar graphs. Next are the “Interference” and “Signal” tabs, which provide the same information as before (in the “Channel” tab), but directly on the subject of interference and signal level from each access point (so to speak, for more convenient perception):

Here you can choose which access points to display based on signal strength information (Best, Good, Weak, or Show All). And the last tab - “Wi-Fi Details” (or information about Wi-Fi) shows a text list of available points and basic information about them: SSID, MAC addresses, signal strength, channel used for data transfer. Unfortunately, there is no information about the network encryption algorithm used.

In the analyzer settings, you can set the scanning interval or disable it altogether, which can be useful if you just need to access previously taken measurements. In addition, in the program you can give any network a name you come up with, which will help you track these networks in the future. These simple settings can help when working with specific networks on a regular basis.

Wi-Fi Visualizer

ITO Akihiro's Wi-Fi Visualizer is also free and provides very simple heatmap functionality as well as several other useful tools.

After opening the Wi-Fi Visualizer, you will see a “Scan” screen that displays information about your current connection to the Wi-Fi access point. Along with the status of the wireless network, it also shows the channel width, center channel and maximum data transfer rate (however, the program cannot always determine all these parameters):

You can also view tabs on the same page to see channel occupancy and graphical representations for the 2.4 GHz bands and for each subset of the 5 GHz bands, but it would be more convenient to see all 5 GHz bands on one page:

Also, on the scanning page there is a tab with a list of available SSIDs. You can't filter the list, but you can sort devices by SSID and BSSID. On the same “Scan” page, it is possible to save a list of devices and graphics with information and channel status, which you can return to and view later. This is a rather convenient feature that not all free applications offer:

This is where the scanning functions end, and we can move on to considering heat maps - the corresponding “Heatmap” tab:

On the Heatmap page you can name and create a new project. When you add a floor plan (this can be a simple picture), just like in the previous program, you indicate your location on the map, the program registers the access point and stores its data transfer speed and power at the specified point. Unfortunately, unlike the application discussed earlier, the program registers statistics only for the AP to which you are currently connected. This is not very convenient and can be a problem if you want to see whether signals from one point affect another on a heat map. It is simply impossible to do this in this program. But thanks to the adaptive signal level prediction algorithm, it is possible to build more uniform heat maps:

Let's move on to the no less interesting “Network Map” tab (below under “Heatmap”). Here on the screen you can view a tree of devices detected on the network. In fact, it is a simple IP scanner that shows the IP, MAC addresses and network names of devices on the network (such as routers/switches/wireless APs) in addition to client devices. This is a great bonus feature that is not seen in most other Wi-Fi network analysis applications:

On the “Chart of Signal Strength” tab, you can view a graph of signal strength changes over time (data shown for the access point to which you are connected). Although this feature is very simple, it is also very convenient. The graph shows a static line indicating a typical roaming boundary line at -80 dBm. You can, moving away from the access point, understand at what distance from it the specified attenuation of -80 dBm will be observed and then take this into account when organizing seamless radio coverage:

The Settings tab provides information about the characteristics of your device: supported frequencies and maximum data transfer speed.

Thus, if you need a good tool for analyzing radio coverage and Wi-Fi networks in general, this application is worth adding to your arsenal. Such solutions are well suited for analyzing small wireless networks, especially if you are the only system administrator in your company. With its help, you can carry out express analysis when designing or expanding an existing Wi-Fi network.

In this part of the article, we looked at the work of two of the four promised applications. In the second part, we will look at the work of two more software solutions with no less interesting capabilities that allow you to analyze radio coverage - iMapper Wi-Fi Pro and WiTuners Mobile.

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'll introduce you to nine free software tools—most of them running on Windows operating systems, others on macOS or Android—that will give you basic information about existing WiFi signals in range: 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.

The Acrylic WiFi Home wireless LAN scanner 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 graphical capabilities for displaying 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 currently connected to the network, and will also allow you to get a list of WiFi passwords (set by default by manufacturers) thanks to the built-in plugin system.

As a free product, Acrylic WiFi Home 3.1 has a simple but attractive graphical interface. 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 on the network characteristics of the 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, as 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 a word processing 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 big 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 access points to ensure the highest quality WiFi network coverage of your premises and configure it for maximum performance without purchasing 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 area. 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 examining a network that consists of several access points, this information will help you understand what signal strength each of them 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.

To use additional functions that are not available in the free version of the software without additional equipment (identifying the most common problems: suboptimal signal coverage or incorrect channel selection; identifying sources of interference, including from “non-WiFi” devices; optimizing WiFi network configurations adjacent to 802.15.4 networks; adjusting WiFi performance by comparing signal strength and usage parameters; Ookla speed test and much more) you will need an AirScout controller or a kit that includes a 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. The free version of the product provides you with all the necessary information 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 application for Windows operating 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, shortcomings such as the lack of visual graphs, as well as the inability to recognize 802.11ac access points and determine wider channels, do not allow Cain & Abel to be called the 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 truly powerful toolkit for a 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 a simplified free version of professional solutions from Ekahau. This software product 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 of 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, the Ekahau HeatMapper software solution is an overly simplified WiFi mapping scanner: the manufacturers removed almost all additional functionality from the free version, making this solution a truly home version. Additionally, the only option available for exporting or saving is to 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 command line interface. 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, along with their IP gateways and MAC addresses.

The Access Points tab contains a lot of 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 a very useful feature 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 the 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 capabilities, as a free app, 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 stored in Windows 10, which may be useful since this latest version of the Windows operating system no longer provides native access and management of this list. The Wireless Statistics tab provides graphs and statistics for various types of packets, both the physical (PHY) layer and 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 a 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 this is not available in the free version for home use. However, this solution is offered for both Windows and macOS operating networks. In this review article, we will look at NetSpot Free version 2.8 - a free, significantly stripped-down version of the company's paid products for home and corporate use.

The NetSpot Discover tab is a WiFi scanner. Although the GUI is simple, it has a modern look and feel, with the network details of each SSID 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). And yet, the free solution has very limited functionality, which is eloquently demonstrated by the broken links to a large number of additional features - the inaccessibility of visualizations, the inability to use a heat map, and the lack of export.

WirelessNetView (Windows)

WirelessNetView is a small utility from NirSoft that runs in the 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, this utility provides signal level indicators in negative dBm values, as well as in percentage terms 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. Right-clicking any network in the list allows you to save data for that specific wireless network or all detected networks to 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, WirelessNetView can still be useful for simple monitoring of wireless networks or small WiFi spaces, especially if you find some of the utility's unique functionality valuable.

Wireless Diagnostics (macOS)

Beginning with OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.4 and later operating systems, Apple provides a 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 a brief description of network types and the 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 information about the 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 speed of the current connection. The Sniffer utility allows you to capture raw wireless packets, which can then be exported to a third-party packet sniffer.

In summary, the utilities included in the Wireless Diagnostics toolkit of the MacOS family of operating systems are truly impressive, especially when compared to the native wireless toolkit 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.

Apple also offers an excellent tour and guide to using Wireless Diagnostics for more information.

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!

Features of the WiFi SiStr program:

Flexible in setup. Despite the simple interface of the panel, you can even customize it. Just right-click on the status bar and a menu with settings will open.
Convenient. You can monitor the signal level directly on the desktop of your PC or laptop.
It does not consume a lot of system resources, it is not just small - it has a miniature size.
For WiFi SiStr to work correctly, you will need .NETFramework versions 1.1 and higher.
When launched, it always minimizes to tray and does not interfere with computer work at all.

In the world of technological progress and global computerization, rapidly developing technologies have touched every modern user. Access to the World Wide Web is no longer limited to using just a computer.

Today, in every home, almost all family members, young and old, have one or several different devices with access to the network. In this case, it is very convenient to install a Wi-Fi access point and distribute a signal to any connected equipment. Modern devices such as laptops, tablets, phones have built-in Wi-Fi receivers, making them easy to connect to a network.

A network card, or network adapter, is an integral part of a computer that determines its interaction with the network. With the exception of outdated device models, many laptops and computers are equipped with a network adapter during production. This provides the ability to connect to the Internet without purchasing a separate item. But, despite the built-in adapter, you can and should purchase an additional external device, expanding the data exchange capabilities.

The network card can be integrated into the motherboard or external. Regardless of the type, it is assigned a Mac address, through which a computer connected to the network is identified.

Wi-Fi network card

The computer can be connected to the Internet physically using a cable connected to the network port of the PC, or wirelessly, which does not require the use of connectors.

A Wi-Fi network card allows the computer to receive a signal from a wireless network. It can be connected to the PCI connector of the motherboard or USB port of a computer, less often to Ethernet (this type of connection is mainly applicable to older devices). A Wi-Fi card plugged into the USB port of a PC or laptop is most convenient in terms of mobility; it can be easily connected to another device if necessary.

In addition to the connection method and appearance, there are differences in the speed and power of the adapter. Some cards are only capable of receiving signals, others can also transmit. Adapters equipped with the Soft AP function provide the creation of a Wi-Fi access point.

The range of signal reception and transmission can be carried out over long distances up to hundreds of meters, or limited to a small access area. As in the case of a router, there is no need to use overly powerful network cards for home use, unless, of course, you are going to distribute Wi-Fi to all your neighbors or take over someone else's signal. In addition, the price will depend on the power of the model, and it is not advisable to overpay for a card that will work in a small area. More robust adapter models are applicable in large areas of offices or enterprises.

How the Wi-Fi adapter works

Access to the Internet via a wireless network is achieved through the joint work of a network card and a router or modem. Wi-Fi technology operates on a specific frequency range. Data exchange with the network is carried out through a router or modem, which communicates with the air via radio waves. For the computer to perceive the radio signal, a network card is used, which reads and converts the signal into an electronic one. All devices equipped with an adapter and located within the range of the router’s transmitter will receive the incoming signal. To digitize data for recognition by the device, the adapter is equipped with a microcircuit and special software that controls the operation of the module. For proper operation, the necessary drivers must be installed.

Types of adapters

All adapters are divided into two main categories:

External. Such network devices are connected via the USB port of a computer or laptop. They are not distinguished by high data transfer speeds, but they pleasantly compensate for this disadvantage with their price, which is why they are the most popular today. In appearance, such adapters look like USB drives. To get started, you need to insert the device into a free port and connect to a wireless connection.

Internal, or built-in. Connect to the PCI connector of the motherboard. To install this type of adapter, you will have to remove the cover of the system unit. The built-in network card is larger than the external one. This type of device has good throughput, resulting in high data transfer rates. The price of the issue will be significantly higher than that of external adapters.

There is another version of devices that is not widely used - card devices (Card-Bus). This type of adapter connects to a PC Card slot, if your computer equipment has one.

Wireless network cards can be connected not only to computers and laptops. A separate niche is occupied by external adapters for TVs. They can be either universal or designed for specific models. If your TV is not equipped with a Wi-Fi receiver, but has a corresponding connector, you can purchase an adapter compatible with it to connect it to a network source.

Network card antennas

A device equipped with an external antenna receives the signal better. Of course, the dimensions of the receiver do not always contribute to comfort, so you can choose an adapter with a removable antenna or with a connector where you can insert it if necessary.

When choosing a device, the antenna power must correspond to the conditions of the location where you want to install the network.

The number of antennas affects the speed of information transmission. Models equipped with removable antennas are very convenient if the router is located far away; if necessary, it is possible to install a more powerful radio wave reception structure. External antennas provide greater range.

Installing and configuring a Wi-Fi adapter

Despite the significant differences in network cards in terms of type and type of connection, they are all configured according to a similar principle.

First, you need to physically connect the adapter to the desired connector on your computer or laptop. Windows will detect the new hardware. Although there are always compatible programs in the system set of programs, for correct operation it is better to install drivers from the disk that came with the network device. You can also download the necessary software from the manufacturer's official website. Data exchange through the adapter occurs thanks to the driver, which is why it is better to install software that is suitable specifically for your device model.

After installing the Wi-Fi card, a network connection icon will appear, click on it and in the properties of the wireless network connection, find the TCP/IP Internet protocol. Here you need to enter network parameter settings; you need to find them out by contacting your provider’s technical support and enter them into the fields to fill out. Settings can also be assigned automatically. When you have selected the necessary parameters and access points, all that remains is to assign a Mac address to the card. This task is performed by the network administrator; to do this, call technical support and notify about the adapter change and the need to change the Mac address.

When choosing a network device, pay attention not only to functionality, because you will not use all the capabilities of the card, and the price for a wide range of functions will increase several times. Pay attention to some factors, such as the dimensions of your room in which the Wi-Fi network will be used, the distance between the router and the computer, and the thickness of the walls. The manufacturer also plays a significant role in the reliability of products; it is better to choose a proven one that has proven itself in the quality of its products, of which there are many in the computer equipment market. It is advisable to purchase adapters from the same manufacturer as the router or modem, thereby ensuring better compatibility between the devices.