See How Bad Your Wi-Fi Situation Is With WiFi Analyzer
Windows: There are a million small applications out there that use a combination of the words Wi-Fi and analysis, or something very close to both. Some applications are paid; some are free. And they all allow you to see various combinations of information about your wireless setup (and the wireless settings of those around you).
I stumbled upon WiFi Analyzer (free) the other day while browsing the Windows Store, and I think it’s a great and simple utility to see how bad the wireless network situation is in your home or apartment.
It would be ideal if we could all live in a somewhat isolated, multi-acre area that only contains our Wi-Fi bubble, but in reality, everyone around you probably has a million different routers that all send signals through a bunch of wireless channels. You want the best possible connection for your devices, and this helps you use a channel that doesn’t have a lot of powerful competing wireless networks .
I like WiFi Analyzer because it offers a simple little real-time graph that shows the signal strength of any wireless networks your Windows laptop can find (or desktop if you don’t like using an Ethernet connection for whatever reason). It will even suggest which channels you should use for your own wireless networks (although it’s common to stick with 1, 6, or 11 for 2.4 GHz and what seems to be the least congested for 5 GHz).
The app will also give you a little more information about the wireless network you are currently connected to (presumably your own), including what channel it uses, its bandwidth, and its protocol (if you need to confirm that the router, provided by your ISP, you have a crappy old wireless-n router).
While WiFi Analyzer won’t give you the best connection on your laptop, it will at least light the way and possibly help you free your own wireless network from Wi-Fi congestion. And if you live in an apartment building, you can at least smile at how crowded the airwaves are with everyone else’s signals – welcome to wireless hell. (My advice? Just stick to 5GHz if your device supports it and it gives you enough range.)
Do you have a Windows app (paid or free) that you really like? Tell us about it: [email protected] .