WiFi Signal - Monitor and troubleshoot the quality of your Wi-Fi connection.

Description

Monitor and troubleshoot the quality of your Wi-Fi connection. 

WiFi Signal is a system menu bar application that provides easy access to your Wi-Fi connection details (name, channel, transmit rate, signal strength, noise, etc.), monitors the signal quality of your wireless network, and can find and recommend alternative channels for your network thus avoiding signal overlapping and channel conflicts that can result in connectivity issues and performance degradation.

FEATURES

• Simple, straightforward user interface 
• Fully customizable status icon display options
• Dark mode support
• Accurate dBm to percentage (%) conversion 
• Real-time graphs for signal strength and noise level, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), transmit rate, or MCS index (if supported)
• Signal quality ratings based on SNR measurements 
• Automatic channel recommendations*
• Notifications and event logging for common events, such as when the computer joins to or disconnects from a network, roams to a different access point, or when data rate or channel configuration changes are detected
• Comprehensive app's help describes how to use the tool the most effective way

Requires a Mac with built-in Wi-Fi. External Wi-Fi adapters are not supported.

For a more comprehensive analysis of the Wi-Fi environment consider WiFi Explorer, also available in the Mac App Store. 

* Due to limitations of the Wi-Fi scanning framework, channel recommendations are based solely on the detection of other Wi-Fi signals, and do not consider external sources of interference or hidden networks (i.e. networks that do not broadcast their SSIDs).

What's New

Dec 28, 2017

Version 4.0.7

• Fixes annotations integration with the latest version of WiFi Explorer and WiFi Explorer Pro.
• Updates vendors database.

If you find WiFi Signal useful and have a couple of minutes, please share your thoughts by leaving a review in the Mac App Store. It will make a huge difference to me!

Found a problem or have a concern? Please visit the WiFi Signal Support website and send me a message so we can resolve it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wifi-signal/id525912054

WiFi Industry Is Gearing Up for Move to 802.11ax

WBA officials said the next-generation WiFi will bring improvements in performance, capacity and efficiency and will take on early 5G use cases.

At a time when the upcoming transition to 5G cellular networking is getting a lot of airtime, the Wireless Broadband Alliance is reminding businesses and consumers alike that the next generation of WiFi will bring with it vast improvements in performance and capacity and will be able to support many of the early use cases of 5G.

In a white paper titled “Enhanced Wi-Fi—802.11ax Decoded,” WBA officials outline the numerous new features that 802.11ax will bring with it to support not only the tens of millions of smartphones that currently rely on WiFi connectivity, but also to address the demands from emerging segments such as connected internet of things (IoT) devices and augmented and virtual reality.

“The Wi-Fi industry isn’t resting on its laurels,” the authors of white paper write. “It is not complacent about its ability to continue to help support the tsunami of mobile data. With 802.11ax (11ax), the Wi-Fi industry is introducing, not just the next generation of Wi-Fi, not just a set of increments in terms of better throughput and coverage that improve all existing deployments, but fundamentally new sets of capabilities which can be used by the industry to address a whole new set of opportunities.”

The use of WiFi connectivity continues to grow rapidly, according to the WBA. Almost 70 percent of smartphone data is carried over WiFi, and there are 8 million WiFi devices in use around the world, 3 billion of which were added over the past 12 months. In its annual report for 2017, the group said that almost 80 percent of survey respondents said they will deploy next-generation WiFi by 2020.

The group also expects that by 2021, there will be 3.5 devices and connections per capita, which is fueling the rapid growth—47 percent a year over the next five years—in mobile data traffic.

“This growth is coming from multiple different product categories with different key requirements; ranging from certain IoT use cases that require low data rates and low power consumption supported using small battery powered devices, through to Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality use cases that require extreme throughput and low latency,” the authors wrote in the report, which was released Sept. 5.

A report by MarketsandMarkets Research says that by 2022, the global WiFi market will grow to $15.6 billion, up from $5.96 billion last year.

The WBA is highlighting a range of new features that officials said will address challenges facing enterprises. The new features include multi-user MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) uplink and downlink to increase for enterprises and carrier networks as well as large public venues and buildings with multiple users by increasing channel capacity when supporting multiple devices at the same time.

Support for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz band frequencies will increase the spectrum that can be used and ensure compatibility with existing devices, and will provide support to the 6GHz band. Flexible channel sizes and resource units will mean operators will be able to offer greater IoT efficiency, including connections that use lower data rates for narrow dedicated channels, all of which will save power. In addition, with this feature, carriers will be able to support both broadband-based services and IoT on the same network. The Target Wake Time feature means IoT devices can sleep to reduce competition for network access and wake up when needed, saving battery life.

The WBA laid out a range of use cases for 802.11ax, including high-density networks, the transportation, retail and entertainment industries, enterprises, the industrial sector and smart cities.

The ability to deliver what WBA officials call 5G use cases is key, they said. Top telecommunications companies like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are gearing up their networks for 5G, and systems and component makers are building out their portfolio of products that will support the next-generation cellular networks. But WBA officials say 802.11ax connectivity will arrive before 5G starts to gain significant traction, and the new WiFi technology will support requirements laid out for 5G in ITU for IMT-2020.

“However, being ‘5G-capable’ represents more than being able to meet a set of throughput and density requirements,” the WBA authors wrote. “Already we have seen Wi-Fi integrated into key 5G concepts such as ETSI’s [European Telecommunications Standards Institute’s] Multi-Access Edge Computing architecture.”

WBA officials said they expect the 802.11ax standard to be ratified in the fourth quarter of next year, though multiple group members will launch forward-compatible products before the ratification.

“With so many new capabilities being delivered in 11ax, it is expected that the ramp in deployments will mean that 11ax will lead 5G by several years,” they said in the report. “Moreover, the backwards compatibility guarantees mean that the existing device ecosystem can be seamlessly supported using the very latest equipment, not a characteristic available to 5G New Radio deployments.”

They noted that the GSM Association, a trade group for mobile network operators, is predicting that fewer than 15 percent of global mobile connections will use 5G technology by 2025, while more than 70 percent of the enterprise-class WiFi shipments by 2022 will use 802.11ax.

However, there are still some challenges. Analysts with Dell’Oro Group in June said that delays in 802.11ax products will slow the growth of the enterprise LAN market this year, though migrations from 802.11ac Wave 1 to Wave 2 will ramp up.

“Several manufacturers of enterprise-class products are postponing general availability of 802.11ax access points as they wait for more advanced chipsets and further development of the standard,” Trent Dell’Oro, business analyst at Dell’Oro, said in a statement.

via eweek

New Gigacheck Wireless Analyzer Offers Smartphone App Connectivity to Test WiFi and Ethernet Connection Speeds

Press Release Summary:

Greenlee Textron Inc. announces GigaCheck in AirScout® line of wireless analyzers for testing Wi-Fi coverage and wired Ethernet connection. It measures signal to noise ratio, PHY rate and transmit/receive success rates on wireless networks using the industry standard Ookla® Speedtest®. The analyzer provides technicians with tools to validate connection speed on wireless and Ethernet networks and verify whether the customers receive the connection speeds they pay for and expect.

---

Original Press Release:

Greenlee Communications Launches AirScout GigaCheck

Easily Verify Network Connection Speeds with Greenlee® Communications AirScout® WiFi® Test System

AirScout® GigaCheck Tests WiFi and Ethernet Connection Speeds up to a full Gigabit

Vista, Calif., (June 19, 2018) — Greenlee Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announces the addition of GigaCheck to its award-winning AirScout® line of wireless analyzers. Controlled via Smartphone app, GigaCheck tests Wi-Fi coverage as seen from the residential gateway and tests wired Ethernet connection upload and download speeds up to 1Gb in real-time.

“Today’s customer demands dependable, high-speed services and expects their service provider will deliver the speed they pay for. AirScout GigaCheck gives technicians the tools needed to quickly and easily validate connection speeds on both wireless and ethernet networks,” explains Oleg Fishel, Director of PLM for Greenlee Communications.

AirScout GigaCheck measures Signal to Noise Ratio, PHY Rate and transmit/receive success rates on wireless networks using the industry standard Ookla® Speedtest®. Upload/download and Ping tests are performed on both Ethernet and WiFi for real-time speed testing.

The AirScout unit connects to the wireless router in one-click and is controlled via a smartphone app. The simple connection and intuitive user interface of the app make it easy for technicians to verify customers are receiving the connection speeds they pay for and expect. Technicians define pass/fail thresholds based upon their SLA and can generate reports and save them in the Cloud for easy transference and transparency of test results.

BTR, Broadband Technology Report, awarded AirScout Enterprise the 2017 Diamond Technology Winner in Wi-Fi Solutions. For more information on the complete AirScout line, visit www.getairscout.com.

Greenlee, under its Greenlee Communications brand, develops Ethernet, Transport, C37.94, Fiber, DSL, Wi-Fi and Copper test solutions, tracing and locating equipment, and fiber/cable jet installation equipment. A broad product portfolio, coupled with solutions-branded Greenlee Utility®, HD Electric Company® and Sherman + Reilly®, creates a single source partner providing unmatched value to the communications and utility markets.

Greenlee Communications

The Greenlee Communications brand offers a complete line of innovative and industryleading test and measurement solutions for the communication service provider industry. Our expertise and innovative solutions address all stages of network deployment enabling the development, installation and maintenance of xDSL, fiber, cable and wireless networks. It is a leading brand of test and measurement solutions in the global communications industry with a long track record of delivering high quality innovative solutions enabling technicians to achieve their goals in a timely manner and with confidence.

Greenlee Textron Inc.

Greenlee Textron Inc. is known as a global leader in the professional tool category. The Rockford, Illinois-based company develops high quality innovative products distinguished by customer-driven design and differentiated by supply chain excellence. It also leverages its powerful brands such as Greenlee Communications and Greenlee Utility in the electrical, construction and maintenance markets worldwide. More information is available at www.greenlee.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release may describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

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