#Netspot scan mac os x
#Netspot scan pdf
#Netspot scan software
#Netspot scan free

NetSpot is already an easy tool to use and master for one-time surveys of modest setups.

#Netspot scan free

A free version will always be available, but they plan to eventually release a paid version with more, and more-advanced, features.

#Netspot scan mac os x

NetSpot’s developers told me that this free version is their first attempt at building Mac OS X wireless site-survey software. But it also helped me discover why a laptop upstairs always connected to a base station downstairs: The laptop is used directly above one of the basement base stations, and despite the floor and ceiling in between, that base station provides the strongest signal of any of the three access points. Using NetSpot, I confirmed that my aforementioned three base stations (which are connected by ethernet) are set up in locations that are close to optimal. My old house has lathe-and-plaster walls, thick joists, and basement storage that block Wi-Fi signals. Base stations checked in the detected list are included in a chart, as well as on the colorized map.

#Netspot scan pdf

You can also determine whether you need to add a base station.Įach kind of visualization can be exported as a PDF that you can print out or carry around on your various digital devices. If you have areas of poor reception, this information can be used to show where you might move a router to improve coverage (and then, of course, follow up with a new bit of NetSpot testing). You can toggle individual base stations in a multiple-unit network to get a sense of how well each base station covers the map. (Unfortunately, you can’t manually designate, on the map, the precise location of a base station.) Click any base station on the map to get detailed information about it and its offerings.

However, pushing the value higher may cause some access points to disappear-to avoid that, drop a pin during your survey phase as physically close to each base station as possible. If an estimated placement is incorrect, NetSpot offers a slider for adjusting the signal threshold at which an access point is thought to be detected. I have three base stations, one on our main floor, and the other two at opposite ends of the basement while walking the main floor, NetSpot placed the basement and upstairs AirPort routers within a foot of their actual positions by triangulating signal-strength measurements. I was stunned by how well it performed this task in my home. The map also identifies the rough position of each base station. NetSpot could improve on this feature by adding bandwidth tests that would allow some educated guesses about the typical range of Wi-Fi speeds at a given spot. Figuring out such a threshold, however, is beyond the scope of this review. For example, if you want to ensure that you have at least a certain SNR (which essentially means that the network can operate at or above your desired minimum speed), you could set that SNR as the minimum anything below that minimum simply won’t appear on NetSpot’s map. (You can tweak this last option to show only regions in which a minimum number of routers overlap.)īy default, NetSpot shows the entire range of measurable signal for the signal and noise visualizations, but you can choose a higher minimum and/or a lower maximum. Also available is an oddball but useful access-point-counting visualization that lets you view only regions in which base stations’ signals overlap. Instead of SNR, you can view your site’s raw signal-level or noise-level heat map using the Visualize pop-up menu, or choose to see the signal-to-interference ratio, a different measure that can be useful if there are lots of nearby networks. Finally, you mark the region of the map that represents the area you’re going to scan.Ī NetSpot heatmap shows the best, worst, and mediocre areas of wireless coverage, along with base station locations.

You give the map a scale in meters or feet by marking the distance between two known points.

You start with a map of a single floor, which you either draw using a few primitive graphics tools or load as an image file which is used as the background.

#Netspot scan software

This free site-survey software is a remarkable aid in laying out even a small-home network, using a Mac laptop as your survey tool. NetSpot bypasses the technical in favor of the visual. Where should I put a base station to get the best coverage and performance? Or multiple base stations? Apple provides some tools to help, including the somewhat hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics program (buried in /System/Library/CoreServices/), but using them requires some expertise, as well as keeping your eye on ever-changing signal-strength numbers. When you set up a Wi-Fi network, whether using access points (base stations) from Apple or another vendor, you’re usually playing a guessing game.