Smartphone tools to keep your Wi-Fi network humming

In the early days of Wi-Fi, site surveys were fairly basic and involved running around with a laptop looking at simple signal levels. The next step was mapped-based tools that provided a good visual of Wi-Fi coverage, but still involved carrying a bulky laptop around.

Today, we have map-based Wi-Fi surveying mobile apps you can run on your Android-powered smartphone or tablets. These allow you to create heat maps of Wi-Fi coverage using a small and lightweight device. And for those vendors that offer a laptop-based surveying product, the data can be exported there for further analysis.

We tested Fluke Networks' AirMagnet AirMapper, WolfWiFi Pro from Enterprising Apps, and Ekahau Mobile Survey.

WolfWiFi Pro, at a mere $50, is the least expensive but doesn't offer laptop-based software for further analysis. (Watch a slideshow version of this story.)

If you're planning to or already have purchased a laptop-based solution — typically offering more features and functionality than mobile apps — then consider AirMagnet or Ekahau. If throughput is crucial for your network, AirMagnet offers map-based throughput surveying.

[ALSO: 8 free Wi-Fi stumbling and surveying tools]

Ekahau Mobile Survey is great mobile surveying and testing solution, but it's by far the most expensive out of the three solutions we reviewed, when purchased separately. However, it offers better multi-floor support, flexible exporting and importing, and includes a useful network health monitoring and testing feature.

Though these mobile apps are great for lightweight surveying, do keep in mind that none of them provide signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) values, since the Android platform doesn't provide RF noise levels. This is one of the drawbacks and why you still might consider having some other type of Wi-Fi analyzer around as well.

This story, "Smartphone tools to keep your Wi-Fi network humming" was originally published by Network World.