Updated: January 1, 2020 Home » Freeware and Software Reviews » Wireless WiFi Optimization & Network
If your wifi lags badly, including your Logitech Unifying wireless mouse and keyboard, this is because there is a channel conflict between these wireless devices. There is a possibility that your neighbor’s router share the same channel with your mouse. The only way to find out and resolve this ‘lag’ is to find out which channel within your work radius is occupied and which is not.
Alternative 2020 Article ➤ 12 Wireless Router Antenna Distance Coverage Comparison
Sep 30, 2016 macOS Sierra has a built-in WiFi Scanner, making it easy for you to find the best WiFi channel to use for your network. If you’ve recently download macOS Sierra and want to figure out how to improve your WiFi, you have access to a free WiFi Scanner that can provide some useful information. Jun 12, 2019 The app will actually tell you which Wi-Fi channels are better for your Wi-Fi network, so you can go straight to your router’s web interface and choose the ideal one. IOS: Airport Utility Update: We’ve been informed you can do this with Apple’s own AirPort Utility application. IStumbler for Mac – WiFi analyzer app for Mac will display networks according to their types, i.e. Bluetooth, Bonjour or AirPort. WiFi Explorer – Detect issues that may be affecting connection and the performance of your network, such as channel conflicts, overlapping and configuration issues, etc. Jun 10, 2020 To see the wireless channel setting, use a mobile or desktop wireless app. These Wi-Fi apps point out your network's channel and the WLANs that your device can see in the range. The ability to see nearby wireless networks and their channels is crucial.
There are a multitude of problems that could be impacting the Wi-Fi and some basic network health questions you have to answer:
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These questions are not always simple to answer. Since Wi-Fi is invisible, it’s not so easy to check and see if your fix ended up working. What if you could easily answer these questions in under a minute using software that explained the hard numbers in an easy-to-understand way?
![]() ↓ 01 – inSSIDer Lite [ Windows & Mac | Free ]
inSSIDer is Wi‑Fi optimization and troubleshooting software that takes Wi‑Fi network discovery to a whole new level. With a quick glance, you’ll be able to find poor channel placement, low signal strength, and RF interference in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. inSSIDer comes in two versions: inSSIDer Lite (Windows & Mac OS X), a home-use Wi‑Fi scanner, and inSSIDer Office (Windows & in Beta for OS X), which adds extra troubleshooting power like RF spectrum analysis, expert analysis, export to Chanalyzer, and network drilldown, to name a few.
WiFi lives in a noisy space – 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to be exact – and one of the first steps to understanding why your WiFi might not be performing the way you expect is to simply discover all of the networks around you. With inSSIDer Lite, you can quickly see your neighboring networks, as well as critical details about those networks, including channel placement, signal strength, security type, supported data rates, and more.
↓ 02 – Vistumbler [ Windows | Free ]
Vistumbler is a free and open-source application that scans wireless networks within range of your Wi-Fi antenna, it tracks signal strength over time, and handles pretty much everything else that other apps of this kind do. What sets Vistumbler apart from the rest is its support for GPS and live Google Earth tracking, which plots hotspots on a map. It supports Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.
↓ 03 – Acrylic WiFi Home [ Windows | Free ]
Real-time WLAN information and network analysis. Acrylic WiFi is a Free WiFi scanner that displays WiFi access points and connected devices, shows information of the security mechanisms and obtains generic WiFi passwords thanks to a plugins system. Our WiFi scanner is able to gather information from 802.11/a/b/g/n/ac networks.
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↓ 04 – WirelessNetView [ Windows | Free ]
WirelessNetView is a small utility that runs in the background, and monitor the activity of wireless networks around you. For each detected network, it displays the following information: SSID, Last Signal Quality, Average Signal Quality, Detection Counter, Authentication Algorithm, Cipher Algorithm, MAC Address, RSSI, Channel Frequency, Channel Number, and more.
↓ 05 – NetSpot [ Mac | Freemium ]
NetSpot is the easiest native wireless site survey software for Mac. You need just a few clicks to load your office plan or area map and start a network site survey. Just point to where you are on the map and NetSpot starts measuring wireless signal right away, move around, and collect Wi-Fi data.
That’s it: now you have all the needed info to analyze radio signal leakages, discover noise sources, map channel usage, locate effective access points, etc.
↓ 06 – Lizard Wi-Fi Scanner Wi-Fi Scanner [ Windows | Free With T&C ]
Wi-Fi Scanner is an easy-to-use tool to scan for and analyze 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless networks. Wi-Fi Scanner allows you to easily locate visible wireless networks and its corresponding information. The tool obtains the network name (SSID), signal level (RSSI), MAC address (BSSID), signal quality, channel, maximum data rate, encryption, and much more.
https://ballenergy.weebly.com/best-mac-professional-photo-editing-software.html. Hi-res music apps for mac. Wi-Fi Scanner is useful for normal access point users who need to find out the signal strength distribution for their wireless network at home, or choose a position for their access point for optimal signal quality.
Using Wi-Fi Scanner, you can evaluate the allocation of wireless networks by channel and select the least congested bandwidth for their access point, allowing them to increase their connection speed significantly.
↓ 07 – NetSurveyor [ Windows | Free ]
NetSurveyor is an 802.11 (WiFi) network discovery tool that gathers information about nearby wireless access points in real time and displays it in useful ways. Similar in purpose to NetStumbler, it includes many more features. The data is displayed using a variety of different diagnostic views and charts. Data can be recorded for extended periods and played-back at a later date/time.
↓ 08 – Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector [ Windows | Free ]
The Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector is a utility for monitoring Wi-Fi networks and managing the Wi-Fi operation of a laptop. Operating on Windows 7, Vista, or XP, the Wi-Fi Inspector provides detailed information about available Wi-Fi networks, management of a laptop’s Wi-Fi connection, and tools to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connectivity issues. It provides a useful tool for anyone deploying and operating Wi-Fi.
↓ 09 – WiFi Analyzer [ Windows 10 Only | Free ]
WiFi Analyzer can help you to identify Wi-Fi problems, find the best channel or the best place for your router/access-point by turning your PC/laptop, tablet or mobile device into an analyzer for your wireless network.
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This article is for network administrators and others who manage their own network. If you're trying to join a Wi-Fi network, one of these articles should help:
Follow these steps first
Before you change your settings, follow these steps:
SSID or Wi-Fi network name
The SSID (service set identifier), or network name, identifies your Wi-Fi network to users and other Wi-Fi devices. It is case sensitive.
Set to: Any unique name
Choose a name that's unique to your network and isn't shared by other nearby networks or networks you're likely to encounter. If your router came with a default SSID, it's especially important that you change it to a different, unique name. Some common default SSID names to avoid are linksys, netgear, dlink, wireless, 2wire and default.
If your SSID isn't unique, Wi-Fi devices will have trouble identifying your network. This could cause them to fail to connect automatically to your network, or to connect to other networks that share the same SSID. It may also prevent Wi-Fi devices from using all routers in your network, or prevent them from using all available bands of a router.
Hidden network
Hidden networks don't broadcast their SSID over Wi-Fi. This option may be incorrectly referred to as a closed network, and the corresponding non-hidden state may be referred to as broadcast.
Set to: Disabled
Because hidden networks don't broadcast their SSID, devices may need more time to find them and connect to them. Hiding a network doesn't secure your Wi-Fi network, because the SSID can still be discovered in other ways. You should always enable security on your Wi-Fi router.
MAC address authentication or filtering
Restricts access to a Wi-Fi router to devices with specific MAC (Media Access Control) addresses.
Set to: Disabled
When enabled, this feature allows a user to configure a list of MAC addresses for the Wi-Fi router, and restrict access to devices with addresses that are on the list. Devices with MAC addresses not on the list will fail to associate with the Wi-Fi network. MAC addresses can be changed easily, so don't rely on them to prevent unauthorised access to the network.
iOS 8 and later uses a randomised MAC address when running Wi-Fi scans. The scans are conducted when a device isn't associated with a Wi-Fi network and its processor is asleep. A device’s processor goes to sleep shortly after the screen is turned off. Wi-Fi scans are run to determine whether a user can connect to a preferred Wi-Fi network. Enhanced Wi-Fi scans are run when a device uses Location Services for apps that use geofencing, such as location-based reminders, that determine whether the device is near a specific location.
Security
The security setting controls the type of authentication and encryption used by your Wi-Fi router, which allows you to control access to the network and specify the level of privacy for data you send over the air.
Set to: WPA3 Personal (AES) https://ballenergy.weebly.com/cabinet-cut-list-software-for-mac.html.
WPA3 Personal (AES) is currently the strongest form of security offered by Wi-Fi products. When enabling WPA2 or WPA3, make sure you select a strong password that can't be guessed by third parties.
If you have older Wi-Fi devices that don't support WPA2 Personal (AES), a good second choice is WPA/WPA2 Mode, also known as WPA Mixed Mode. This mode allows newer devices to use the stronger WPA2 AES encryption, while still allowing older devices to connect with older WPA TKIP-level encryption. If your Wi-Fi router doesn't support WPA/WPA2 Mode, WPA Personal (TKIP) mode is the next best choice.
For compatibility, reliability, performance and security reasons, WEP is not recommended. WEP is insecure and functionally obsolete. If you must choose between WEP and TKIP, choose TKIP.
Due to serious security weaknesses, the WEP and WPA TKIP encryption methods are deprecated and strongly discouraged. Use these modes only if necessary to support legacy Wi-Fi devices that don't support WPA2 AES and can't be upgraded to support WPA2 AES. Devices using these deprecated encryption methods can't take full advantage of the performance and other features of 802.11n and 802.11ac. As a result, the Wi-Fi Alliance has directed the Wi-Fi industry to phase out WEP and WPA TKIP.
If your security is set to None or unsecured mode, you're using no authentication or encryption. Anyone can join your Wi-Fi network, use your Internet connection, access any shared resources on your network and read any traffic you send over the network. Using an unsecured network is not recommended.
2.4 GHz radio mode
This setting controls which versions of the 802.11n/ac standard the network uses for wireless communication on the 2.4 GHz band.
Set to: Auto or 802.11n/ac
Routers that support 802.11 should be configured for 802.11n/ac for maximum speed and compatibility. Different Wi-Fi routers support different radio modes, so the setting varies depending on the router. In general, enable support for all modes. Devices can then automatically select the fastest commonly supported mode to communicate. Choosing a subset of the available modes prevents some devices from connecting. For example, 802.11ac devices can't connect to a Wi-Fi router in 802.11n-only mode. Also, choosing a subset of the available modes may cause interference with nearby legacy networks, and nearby legacy devices may interfere with your network.
5 GHz radio mode
This setting controls which versions of the 802.11a/b/g/n standard the network uses for wireless communication on the 5 GHz band. Newer standards support faster transfer rates, and older standards provide compatibility with older devices and additional range.
Set to: Auto or 802.11n/ac
Routers that support 802.11n should be configured for 802.11n/ac mode for maximum speed and compatibility. Different Wi-Fi routers support different radio modes, so the setting varies depending on the router. In general, enable support for all modes. Devices can then automatically select the fastest commonly supported mode to communicate. Choosing a subset of the available modes prevents older devices from connecting. For example, 802.11ac devices can't connect to a Wi-Fi router in 802.11n-only mode. Also, choosing a subset of the available modes may cause interference with nearby legacy networks, and nearby legacy devices may interfere with your network.
Channel
This setting controls which channel your Wi-Fi router uses to communicate.
Set to: Auto
Optimum Wifi App For Laptop
For best performance, choose Auto mode and let the Wi-Fi router select the best channel. If this mode isn't supported by your Wi-Fi router, choose a channel that's free from other Wi-Fi routers and other sources of interference. Read about possible sources of interference
Determine Optimum Wifi Channel App Mac Computer2.4 GHz channel width
Channel width controls how large a 'pipe' 'is available to transfer data. However, larger channels are more subject to interference, and more likely to interfere with other devices. A 40 MHz channel is sometimes called a wide channel, and a 20 MHz channel is a narrow channel.
Set to: 20 MHz
Use 20 MHz channels in the 2.4 GHz band. Using 40 MHz channels in the 2.4 GHz band can cause performance and reliability issues with your network, especially in the presence of other Wi-Fi networks and other 2.4 GHz devices. A 40 MHz channel may also cause interference and issues with other devices that use this band, such as Bluetooth devices, cordless phones and neighbouring Wi-Fi networks. Routers that don't support 40 MHz channels in the 2.4 GHz band do support 20 MHz channels.
5 GHz channel width
Channel width controls how large a 'pipe' is available to transfer data. Larger channels are more susceptible to interference, and more likely to interfere with other devices. Interference is less of an issue in the 5 GHz band than in the 2.4 GHz band. A 40 MHz channel is sometimes called a wide channel, and a 20 MHz channel is a narrow channel.
Set to:
For 802.11n access points, set the 5 GHz band to 20 MHz and 40 MHz. For 802.11ac access points, set the 5 GHz band to 20 MHz, 40 MHz and 80 MHz.
For best performance and reliability, enable support for all channel widths. This allows devices to use the largest width they support, which results in optimum performance and compatibility. Not all client devices support 40 MHz channels, so don't enable 40 MHz-only mode. Devices that support only 20 MHz channels can't connect to a Wi-Fi router in 40 MHz-only mode. Similarly, don't enable 80 MHz-only mode, or only clients capable of 802.11ac will be able to connect. Routers that don't support 40 MHz or 80 MHz channels do support 20 MHz channels.
DHCP
The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns addresses that identify devices on your network. Once assigned, devices use these addresses to communicate with each other and with computers on the Internet. The functionality of a DHCP server can be thought of as similar to a phone company handing out phone numbers, which customers then use to call other people.
Set to: Enabled, if it's the only DHCP server on your network
There should only be one DHCP server on your network. This DHCP server may be built in to your cable modem, DSL modem or router. If more than one device has DHCP enabled, you are likely to see address conflicts and have issues accessing the Internet or other resources on your network.
NAT
Network address translation (NAT) translates between addresses on the Internet and those on a local network. The functionality of a NAT provider is like that of a worker in an office post room who takes a business address and an employee name on incoming letters and replaces them with the destination office number in a building. This allows people outside the business to send information to a specific person in the building.
Set to: Enabled, if it's the only router providing NAT services on your network
Generally, you should only enable NAT on the device that acts as a router for your network. This is usually your cable modem, your DSL modem or your standalone router, which may also act as your Wi-Fi router. Using NAT on more than one device is called double NAT, and that can cause issues with accessing Internet services, such as games, Voice Over IP (VoIP), Virtual Private Network (VPN) and communicating across the different levels of NAT on the local network.
WMM
WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) prioritises network traffic according to four access categories: voice, video, best effort and background.
Set to: Enabled
All 802.11n and 802.11ac access points should have WMM enabled in their default configuration. Disabling WMM can cause issues for the entire network, not just Apple products on the network.
Wifi Channel FrequencyLocation Services
Some countries or regions have regulations that affect wireless signal strength and the use of Wi-Fi channels. When you travel to other countries or regions, make sure that your devices have Location Services turned on so that you can connect to Wi-Fi networks in that country or region.
Download Optimum Wifi Finder App
On your Mac:
On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:
Wireless operator Wi-Fi networksWifi Channel Finder
Wireless operator Wi-Fi networks are networks configured by your operator and their partners. Your iPhone treats them as known networks and connects to them automatically. If you see 'Privacy Warning' under the name of your operator's network in Wi-Fi Settings, your mobile data identity may be exposed if a malicious hotspot impersonates your operator's Wi-Fi network.
Optimum Wifi Hotspots App
To prevent automatic joining of your operator's Wi-Fi networks, tap Settings > Wi-Fi. Tap next to the network name and then turn off Auto-Join.
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