03/26/2020 909 People found this article helpful 188,758 Views Show
DescriptionWhy is a Wireless Site Survey needed? Resolution
Some Wireless Site Survey tools? Some Wireless Site Survey tools are from: (AIRMAGNET) part of Fluke Networks · Costs around $4K and up (EKAHAU SITE SURVEY) · Costs around $4K and up (VISIWAVE SITE SURVEY) · Costs around $1K and up (MERITECH WIFI NETWORK SURVEY AND DESIGN) · Costs around $1K and up
(METAGEEK – inSSIDer 4 and inSSIDer Office w/ Wi-Spy Mini)
(NUTS ABOUT NETS)
Some free Wireless Site Survey tools? Heatmapper - is a free software from Ekahau, makers of the Ekahau Site Survey.
Kismet - is a free and open Wi-Fi stumbler, packet sniffer, and intrusion detection system for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and BSD. Kismet is an 802.11 layer2 wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system. Kismet will work with any wireless card which supports raw monitoring (rfmon) mode, and (with appropriate hardware) can sniff 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n traffic. Kismet identifies networks by passively collecting packets and detecting standard named networks, detecting (and given time, decloaking) hidden networks, and inferring the presence of nonbeaconing networks via data traffic. NetSurveyor is a free basic tool developed by Nuts About Nets.
KisMAC - If you're a Mac user, you might consider using the KisMAC stumbler and security tool, similar to Kismet. It also reveals "hidden" SSIDs. Along with the other basic details, it can show the access point's clients (with MAC Addresses, IP addresses and signal strengths). Plus it reports the noise levels and gives you the signal-to-noise (SNR) values. It also supports GPS and mapping, and PC access point import and export. It even includes tools to attack Wi-Fi networks for penetration testing. Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector - powerful tools for your Wi-Fi network.
Vistumbler - is newer open source stumbler first released in 2007 and updated as lately as 2010. It displays the basic access point details, including the exact authentication and encryption methods, and can even speak the SSID and RSSI of access points. Similar to NetStumbler, you can view a list of all access points or drill down to those categorized by authentication, encryption, channel, network type, and SSID. You can also view graphs of the access point signals in addition to viewing text readouts. It's highly customizable and offers flexible configuration options. For example, you can define and save access point names to better distinguish them in the future. In addition to basic GPS support to record access point locations, it supports live tracking within the application using Google Earth. However unlike NetStumbler, Vistumbler only gives you the signal levels and doesn't include the noise levels. Thus it doesn't report the signal-noise-ratio (SNR) values, which is usually more helpful than just the plain signal levels NetStumbler - is one of the oldest and most known Wi-Fi stumblers and runs on Windows XP and Windows CE/Mobile. It lists nearby access points and displays their basic details: SSID, channel, speed, MAC address, vendor, and encryption. Unlike most other stumblers, it also shows the signal, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels. Additionally, it has GPS support to record access point locations when wardriving. It is important to note that NetStumbler hasn't been updated since around 2005. It may not run well on Windows Vista or 7, or even 64-bit Windows XP. Related Articles
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Was This Article Helpful?YESNOWhat is the primary objective when performing a WLAN site survey?The ultimate goal of a wireless site survey is to determine the number and placement of access points (or mesh nodes) that provides adequate signal coverage throughout a facility or city area. With most implementations, “adequate coverage” means support of a minimum data rate or throughput.
What is the purpose of conducting a wireless network site survey?A wireless site survey helps to determine where to place WiFi APs to avoid interference and avoid overlap coverage from other APs. In practice many network managers just randomly place WiFi APs and simply install extra WiFi APs when extra coverage is needed or when they get complaints about bad WiFi access.
What are three reasons to perform a site survey when installing wireless access points in a new location?By getting a wireless site survey, it will help determine if there are co-channel interference and how much, external radio interferences and how to minimize the number of WiFi access points needed and where to optimally place the WiFI access points for best coverage.
What data should be collected while performing a wireless site survey?Expectations from a Wireless Site Survey
The reports should provide specific information about network traffic, throughput packet loss, physical (PHY) rates, and signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio for each AP in your wireless infrastructure.
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