The main problem with a WiFi network is in the walls of the houses, which weaken the signal, when we are further from the router. This is an annoying problem, especially if we live in a fairly long house and the router is not in a centered position.
So that we can check the quality of the signal in each of the areas of your home, we have looked for five interesting tools to see the quality of the WiFi in the different areas. These utilities will provide us with additional network data, such as the MAC addresses of the connected devices, the SSID, encryption and other data of interest.
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Table of Contents
What is WiFi?
It is a wireless communication technology that allows us to connect our electronic equipment to the internet. It is based on radio frequencies or infrared for the transmission of information.
WiFi or Wi-Fi is the abbreviation of the trade name Wireless Fidelity.
WiFi technology is a wireless communication system based on a set of standards. These standards are managed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, who is in charge of their development and of establishing their characteristics and specifications. Technically the guidelines are established as IEEE 802.11, although commercially it has begun to be classified as WiFi 'x', the 'x' being a number. The most current protocol is WiFi 6.
For its operation, it requires a router or router that has an internet connection and an antenna. The antenna on the router may or may not be visible, as some models integrate it into the device. The coverage radius is limited and the devices that connect to this network must have compatibility.
Security
Currently the problem with WiFi technology is that the saturation of the radio spectrum is taking place. This is due to the massification of internet access points based on this technology. But this standard has been designed to connect electronic equipment in a tight radius.
Many networks are installed incorrectly without taking into account a critical aspect such as security, generating open networks. These networks allow access to any user and this can be a serious security problem. In the past, routers also had a standard username and password that were not very secure. This made them highly vulnerable, since any user could easily access and manipulate it at will. The operators are making important changes in this regard.
An external user who accesses our router can intercept all communications and therefore see all our data. Any attackers could steal the usernames and passwords of the services we access. The best way to offer security is:
- Frequently change the access password
- Modifying the SSID that is assigned at the factory
- Disable SSID and DHCP broadcast
- Generate an AMC address list
- WPA2 encryption
Devices
We can find different devices that offer us WiFi connectivity. There are network distribution devices, which are divided between routers, access points and repeaters. These devices are:
- Access point: Device that generates a service set that allows electronic devices to access. Allows devices to connect to a wireless network within an existing network. They are used to expand coverage and allow you to reach more points.
- Repeaters: Systems that are used to improve the coverage of a wireless network. It connects to an existing network that has a weak signal, improving the signal, expanding the coverage and the amount of equipment that can be connected. Some offer support as an access point.
- Router: Wireless devices for small networks such as at home or in a small office. They have a router, access point and usually a switch that allows the connection of devices via cable.
Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector
The first one that we bring you is the most interesting and most complete of all, in addition to being the best to measure the power of our wireless network. This utility shows us a large number of details, of which we would highlight the SSID, MAC addresses, IP addresses, DNS, gateways, channel, frequency, WiFi mode and, of course, the strength of the signal. It's a completely Free available for Windows and Mac OS X.
netspot
Thanks to NetSpot, we can measure the strength of the wireless network. This interface is very simple and intuitive and it also shows the MAC addresses, SSID, the channel, a graph of the network and as we said, the signal strength in the area. The signal can be displayed in several ways, since this tool shows us the real power of the network, the minimum intensity, the maximum intensity and even the average intensity. It can show us Decibel values per milliwatt (dBm). Is available for Windows and Mac OS X.
DOT11 Expert
dot11Expert is characterized by being the simplest to use and the lightest of all. This shows us the RSSI, MAC addresses and the quality of any network close to our equipment. The interface is very simple and intuitive and of course, it is free and available for Windows.
Acrylic Wi-Fi Home
The Acrylic WiFi Home tool shows us a graph of the signal strength of the wireless network and also shows us the RSSI. It is a fairly powerful tool, which gives us all the data on our network. Due to the data and design, it is intended for users with more technical networking knowledge. How could it be otherwise, this software is completely free and is only for Windows.
Homedale
Possibly the simplest of all the programs shown. It allows you to check the strength of the WiFi network and gives us all the router data, in addition. It allows to display all the parameters by means of graphs, becoming one of the best in the graphical field, since it is easy to interpret. It is also free and this is only for Windows.
Wifi analyzer
This is one simple smartphone app that allows us to know which are the WiFi channels that are around us. It also allows us to see which ones are busy and which ones are free. We can also see which of the channels are more saturated and thus be able to change it in the router to a less saturated one.
