Troubleshooting with Wi-Spy is easiest with a laptop. Our Chanalyzer software requires .Net 2.0 (or higher), which runs on all recent versions of Microsoft Windows (Windows 2000 and newer). Third-party software for Linux and Mac OS X is also available.

Gathering Data

If you are doing a site survey before installing a new wireless network, or adding an access point to an existing network, it is useful to gather 24 hours of Wi-Spy data. Just plug-in the Wi-Spy, start Chanalyzer and let it run for a day. After the data has been collected by Chanalyzer we suggest saving the recording (select File > Save Recording As...), as it may be useful in the future for comparison. Wi-Spy Recordings (*.wsr files) require about 5MB per hour of recorded data.

Review the Recording

Chanalyzer can show up to 1 hour of data at a time allowing you to quickly skim through the 24 hour recording (this is easiest by just clicking on the playback track bar in hour increments). If you have a specific 802.11 channel that you plan to use change the X-axis labels to Wi-Fi and highlight that channel to make it easier to spot interference on that channel.

Chanalyzer also provides an analysis of all Wi-Fi channels. Select "Wi-Fi Report" from the Reports menu to obtain detailed information about each channel, including a composite "grade." The grade is a measurement of how quiet the channel is; the higher the grade, the quieter the channel.

The following screenshot shows Channel 1 highlighted. The red lines demarcate the boundary of the 22 MHz wide 8022.b channel that is being used. The IEEE 802.11b standard defines 14 channels, although some channels are not available in certain countries. Cisco has a comprehensive list of 802.11a/b/g channel definitions as well as a table showing which regions allow each channel. (Note: Chanalyzer support for Channel 14 can be enabled in the File->Preferences dialog)

Wi-Fi Labels

 

Identifying Interference Signatures

Chanalyzer provides visualization of your wireless landscape in three dimensions (frequency, amplitude, and time). By utilizing all three views in Chanalyzer most interference signatures can be quickly identified. Identifying device signatures is similar to identifying aircraft by their silhouettes in WWII to immediately determine if an approaching plane was friend or foe. The Device Signatures Library is a growing collection of recordings of common devices that you are likely to encounter. Here are screenshots showing the signatures of some common devices:

	Wi-Fi View images and recordings from different 802.11b/g/n wireless routers
	Microwaves Click here for recordings of different microwaves and information on how to troubleshoot them using Chanalyzer 3.0.
	Cordless Phones Here is our collection of 2.4GHz phones, with pictures of each device.
	Video and Audio Devices Here are collections of wireless devices that transmit media, some of them even avoid wireless interference
	Other Devices A collection of RC devices, car alarms, iClickers, and other random 2.4GHz devices

With the ever-increasing popularity of Wi-Fi, you are likely to encounter neighboring Wi-Fi networks. There are a number of useful tools available to gather Wi-Fi-specific information, such as InSSIDer, NetStumbler (for Windows) and Kismet (for Linux). These tools generally show you the network name (SSID), channel, signal strength, and type of security.