Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer | Troubleshoot Wi-Fi

Friday, October 27, 2006

Every technology, even the most useful, has its own drawbacks and Wi-Fi is not an exception to the rule. The main problem with this technology may be interferences since all the standards (except 802.11a) use a spectrum near 2.4 GHz that is not licensed by international agreement.

With the ever-increasing use of this range of frequency resolving interferences issues can become really tough. To analyze the spectrum we would need an analyzer to scan the 2.4 GHz radio frequency spectrum. The only problem is that generally this kind of devices is pretty expensive (we are talking about thousands of dollars).

Luckily MetaGeek came to our rescue by providing us a great USB analyzer that is also cost-friendly: the Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer. This USB spectrum analyzer costs only $99 and despite its cheap price it does exactly what it is supposed to do: troubleshoot and analyze Wi-Fi networks.

The Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer is able to analyze the signal strength of signals coming from Bluetooth devices, 2.4 GHz cordless phones and all the other transmitters that use this frequency.

This USB spectrum analyzer is able to scan the 2.400 - 2.485 GHz range of frequency and thanks to the included software can also record and playback the data analyzed. Speaking of software MetaGeek released a new beta version of the program after listening to user requests.

The beta software on the MetaGeek site is available for Windows and for Mac OS X 10.4. On the community page instead there are tools to use the Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer on Linux and on BSD variants.

Other than the support for various operating systems the software has another great feature: it can be run directly from the included CD without installing in on the PC or laptop. Once you decide how to use it the software is very user-friendly and can export the data in several formats to read the analysis later.

MetaGeek has also included on the CD several movies intended to explain to beginners how to use the USB spectrum analyzer. You will be able to quickly learn how to read the reports of the Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer even because it displays the data in a quick and intuitive visual format.

In conclusion it is a great product both for its price and for the analysis quality paired with easiness of use. You can buy it either on the MetaGeek website or on the ThinkGeek website.