NetSpot: how to find out weak points of your Wi-Fi network and optimize it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The convenience of wireless networks is undeniable, however, compared to traditional wired networks, they are much more capricious. The quality of coverage, speed and reliability of the connection is influenced by many factors, which are almost impossible to identify with the naked eye. The NetSpot utility acts as a kind of microscope or, to be more precise, a scanner.

Everyone who has set up wireless networks on their own knows firsthand about the problem “here it catches, but here it doesn’t catch”. You can choose the best place for a router only by experience, moving it around the apartment and measuring the quality of the coverage. To simplify the task, it would be more correct to use a diagnostic utility. With its help, you can do everything right the first time.

This application is designed to search for wireless networks and a detailed analysis of each of their many parameters. In Discover mode, NetSpot constantly monitors the broadcast and displays a list of networks around you. It can be filtered by various parameters in order to find out, for example, the load of a particular channel and choose a free one for your network.

More interesting for us is the Survey mode, which allows us to conduct a full survey of your network and provides a detailed report on all its nuances. Let's try to understand the capabilities of NetSpot using a specific example - my summer residence.

Following the wizard's prompts, select the type of room and sketch out its scheme (you can import a ready-made one from a file). I am not the best artist and I did not guess at all with the proportions, but the main thing that we need to know is the total area of about 75 square meters.

Next, we begin to take measurements at various points in the room. It's more logical to walk around the places where you use the Internet, so I started from the living room, checked the signal by the bed, in the kitchen, in the office, on the veranda and, of course, in the bathroom. The more points you add, the more accurate the result will be, so don't be lazy. After finishing the measurements, click Stop scan and proceed to the analysis.

Based on the data received, NetSpot will draw us a coverage quality map, that is, it will show where the Wi-Fi signal is strong, where it is weak, and where it is not at all. The color spectrum is used for rendering. Just note that green means bad reception areas, not the other way around, as you might think. In order not to get confused, be guided by the scale at the bottom of the map.

If your network uses several access points, the signal from them can be displayed separately by checking the boxes next to the required ones. This will allow you to identify problem areas in order to move repeaters or add new ones for more reliable coverage. Access points, by the way, will automatically appear on the map, but if their location is not determined exactly (that's why you need more measurement points), you can change it manually.

By default, the map displays the SNR value, that is, the signal-to-noise ratio. This is the main assessment parameter, but in addition, you can select even more than a dozen others from the drop-down menu: signal level, number of available networks, interference level, coverage at a certain frequency, download and transmission speed, power of access points, and others.

When building a network, you probably want the signal not only to be picked up, but also to be at a good level. For this, the dialog for changing the threshold values of the signal level will be useful. By default, the range is very large, the minimum level implies only the ability to connect and work at the lowest speed.

By clicking on each access point, a menu with detailed information about it (channel, frequency, etc.) is displayed. It will come in handy if you have neighboring networks caught in your house, as well as if your network has access points operating in two bands.

All data are provided with explanations (albeit in English). They will help you identify areas with a weak signal, determine the best places for installing a router and, if necessary, repeaters.

In my case, the need to install another access point for good coverage in the office was confirmed. The signal is caught there, but the speed is poor. I conducted testing in a private house with a minimum number of other people's networks, where the use of free channels is not so important. In an urban environment with clogged air at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, the importance of this nuance can hardly be overestimated. With NetSpot, you can identify the least loaded channel and switch to it.

Using NetSpot on a non-commercial basis is completely free, however there are certain restrictions that practically do not matter at home. The Pro version offers an expanded set of features, including multi-zone projects, unlimited access points and measurements, data export, and recommendations for configuration and troubleshooting. This version costs from $ 149. NetSpot is currently available for Mac only, but is scheduled to be released soon.