Wireless Access

Hi all,

What is the single best tool for wifi survey/analyzer and troubleshooting wireless issues? I am looking for something which can provide analysis and also help i stroubleshooting wireless issues. I have Aruba 6000 controllers and approximately 200 accesspoints. I already have Airwave. We have recently upgraded some APs to 225 and we had AP 125s before (so it's a mix).

 

It will halp if someone can provide product part number.

 

Thanks

#AP225

It really depends on what you're trying to do. 

You can do full packet captures from the AP and controller levels. 

You can also do full spectrum analysis with the RFProtect license. 

For external tools, the Air Pcap NX and Metageek WiSpy DBx would be my suggestions. 

Hi cappalli, thanks for your reply. I was moe looking into wifi analyzer like Airmagnet or Ekahau or something similar that can help in identifying wireless coverage, density, throughput  and roaming issues. We have both 'ac' and 'n'. There are a number of products but I am not sure which single product would be best for a small campus environment.  

Ok, I would suggest Ekahau site survey then. 

For wireless survey I suggest : AirMagnet/Fluke Networks Survey tool
And for troubleshooting : WildPackets Onmipeek (Wireless Packet Sniffing

Hi Victor,

which specific product you suggest from airmagnet/fluke? software or standalone device?

Please see attached pic

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@faadi wrote:

Hi all,

What is the single best tool for wifi survey/analyzer and troubleshooting wireless issues? I am looking for something which can provide analysis and also help i stroubleshooting wireless issues. I have Aruba 6000 controllers and approximately 200 accesspoints. I already have Airwave. We have recently upgraded some APs to 225 and we had AP 125s before (so it's a mix).

 

It will halp if someone can provide product part number.

 

Thanks

---

Falam,

 

Your question is asked many times on this forum.  The short answer is that any troubleshooting tools are only as good as the administrator who is operating those tools.  Very few tools provide conclusive information about sustained or intermittent issues in your environment.  The most sophisiticated tools may provide hints and alerts, but they also rely on a very comprehensive knowledge of the user's environment ,   the specific tool and RF theory to make it worth the investment.

 

 

 

In your case, if it is YOUR network and you are fairly familiar with it, it is best that you:

 

1. - Design your network properly to sidestep common issues - http://www.arubanetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/Indoor80211n_2012-05-31.pdf

2.  - Do everything you can to give your WLAN a chance to operate optimally - http://community.arubanetworks.com/t5/Technology-Blog/Removing-the-Bottleneck-in-Wireless/ba-p/77978

3.  - Since you have Airwave, you should configure best practices (http://support.arubanetworks.com/Documentation/tabid/77/DMXModule/512/Command/Core_Download/Default.aspx?EntryId=14097) and consult the Airwave Helpdesk guide (http://support.arubanetworks.com/Documentation/tabid/77/DMXModule/512/Command/Core_Download/Default.aspx?EntryId=14111) so that you and your colleagues can make the most of your deployment.

4.  Study and take an entry-level CWNP certification (cwnp.com) so that you can understand the underlying theory of RF and you can understand what could be broken outside of what the WLAN vendor's tools tell you.

5.  Consult websites like Wlan Professions (www.wlanpros.com) that offer practical and actionable tips about WLANs in general that will help you understand how to avoid and possibly troubleshoot issues.

6.  Ask very specific questions about your network here on Airheads, because there are many people willing to help you with everything.

 

Software and hardware tools are very complimentary and in some cases essential to deploying and maintaining health WLAN networks.  Knowing the best use cases for those tools and leveraging the information they provide are the key to making them useful.  Starting with a goold WLAN design is a must regardless of the tools used, however.

 

 

Hi falam,

 

Let me first preface my post with a disclaimer, I am currently an employee of Ekahau. I would like to believe I am unbiased, but in the belief in fully disclosure you are aware of my background. It is only my goal to provide insight into Ekahau's offerings, it is not my intention to push a sale or promote our tools.

 

With that said, I do believe we offer excellent Wi-Fi tools that will meet or exceed your expectations. We take a lot of pride in our products and value customer feedback very seriously. We are active on twitter and oftentimes feedback comes directly from our customers to our development team, which in turn work on improving the product immediately.

 

Recently, many Wi-Fi experts have been singing the praise of our products and some have actually worked directly with us to improve our tools based on realworld situations. I feel confident that if you asked anyone that has actually spent time with our tools they would recommend us.

 

Below is a list of the tools that we offer:

• Ekahau Site Survey Pro is the flagship product for laptops. Everything for laptops (planning, surveying, capacity analysis, reporting, GPS Surveys, etc.), except spectrum analysis.
• Ekahau Site Survey Standard is like Pro; but without planning, capacity, reporting, or GPS enabled outdoor surveys.
• Ekahau Mobile Survey is the Android tablet/phone tool, with site survey features, coverage mapping, on-the-spot analysis, and client-side monitoring. Mobile Survey can be used for both active and passive surveys. More information about our Mobile Survey capabilities can be seen in a YouTube video here. Soon to be released is version 3.0 with an AP Finder feature to track down rogue APs using vibration/alerts as you get closer and refreshed UI.
• Ekahau Spectrum Analyzer is what you need for in-depth interference analysis. The Spectrum Analyzer provides a detailed look at interference sources such as bluetooth devices, cordless phones, and other 2.4/5 GHz interferers. More information about our Spectrum Analyzer tool can be found here.
• Premium Pack has it all (ESS-Pro, NIC Hub, 2x NIC-300-USBs, Mobile Survey, Spectrum Analyzer).

For more information on the different products, please go here.

 

I also suggest you check out our blog, videos, and training sites to learn more about our product capabilities in greater detail. 

 

No matter which tool(s) you ultimately decide on I think it is great that you are actually taking the time to design the network correctly. Far too often there are consultants/integrators that try to get away with free software or best guessed "designs" that end up resulting in poor deployments and unhappy customers.

 

Best of luck,

Andrew