Introducing Chanalyzer Pro with Cisco CleanAir®

Posted on June 25, 2013 by admin

In case you missed it at Cisco Live 2013, we just released Chanalyzer Pro with Cisco CleanAir® today, and are excited to tell you about this new development! With today’s announcement, Cisco users can expect enhanced spectrum analysis and ongoing application improvements when using the new tool.

Get Remote RF Troubleshooting and Reporting.

With this new application, you can see and troubleshoot RF interference without leaving your desk! This time-saving feature is only available with Chanalyzer Pro with Cisco CleanAir.

Using CleanAir-enabled access points, you can connect remotely with a CCF file using the router’s NSI Key, or from your Cisco Prime administration page. You may be familiar with Spectrum Expert, but the new Chanalyzer is so much better :)

For example, unlike Spectrum Expert, Chanalyzer fully supports Cisco’s WSSI module, and data can be collected from Cisco CleanAir Access Points in either Local, Monitor, or SE-Connect modes. Chanalyzer also provides an easy way for you to prepare findings into a spectrum analysis report that can be exported to PDF — and you still don’t have to leave your desk!

Double Rainbow! What Does It Mean?

Well – it means you can keep an eye on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands at the same time, and switch between active sessions in just one click!

Our powerful Waterfall Navigation allows you DVR-like playback controls, letting you “skip the commercials” and jump straight to the bright red spectrum events. This makes analyzing your live or pre-recorded capture super fast. The Water Navigation also drives Chanalyzer’s unified time view – so, when you select a time range of a spectrum capture, all of the information panes in the application will update to display data from only your selected range.

Zero-In On Interference.

Chanalyzer’s Device Interferers Table is a filterable list of all the non-Wi-Fi devices that your connected AP detects.

The innovative Density View will overlay utilization and interferes for quick identification. Selecting one of these transmitters will display its shape the Density View, visually representing not only the affected channels, but how severe the impact is.

Fully Compatible with Wi-Spy.

While getting the AP’s point of view on RF interference is extremely useful, there are still going to times where you need to see the impact of interference from the client’s perspective.

With this in mind, Chanalyzer Pro with Cisco CleanAir maintains full compatibility with our pocket-sized USB Wi-Spy spectrum analysis devices, and has the Chanalyzer features loved by Wi-Fi troubleshooters everywhere.

Find out more, and get a free trial here!

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Introducing inSSIDer for Office

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Taylor

You’ve seen how inSSIDer for Home makes troubleshooting a single Wi-Fi network easier –
but for those of you who are Wi-Fi administrators or installers, the Home version of inSSIDer isn’t quite powerful enough for your needs.

inSSIDer for Office and the brand new Wi-Spy Mini build upon the feature set in the Home version and gives you a feature-rich affordable tool that helps customize your wireless network to fit your environment.

 

Why inSSIDer for Office is AWESOME

  • Track and Troubleshoot up to 8 SSIDs for Multi-AP Deployments
  • Get more accurate Link Score calculations with a Wi-Spy Mini
  • Better channel placement recommendation from more accurate Link Scores
  • In-depth measurements for every Wi-Fi channel with the Channels Tab
  • Expert tips for fixing detected issues in the Analyze Tab
inSSIDer for Office includes a Wi-Spy Mini

The new Wi-Spy Mini is included with every purchase of inSSIDer for Office.

This coin-sized USB device is used to collect information about RF activity in the 2.4 GHz band. The data is then used along with readings from your Wi-Fi card to populate the table in the Channels Tab.

In the Channels Tab, you’ll be provided with measurements of how saturated a channel is by both Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi devices, along with details about surrounding networks.

Analyze Tab within inSSIDer for Office

 

Designed for network admins, managed services IT, and anyone who wants to take guesswork out of increasing network performance – inSSIDer for Office hits the sweet spot of price & feature set when you deal with Wi-Fi regularly.

CHECK-OUT-inSSIDer-For-Office

 

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Dead Spots and Slow Zones

Posted on April 4, 2013 by admin

Many users of Wi-Fi experience poor connectivity and slow speeds. In one room it doesn’t work at all, and in another the speeds may crawl. To achieve a dependable wireless connection, Wi-Fi has to overcome many barriers and obstacles – some of which can’t be fixed by purchasing a newer wireless router.

Diminishing Signal Strength:

A high signal strength measurement is quite often a good indicator that the Wi-Fi connection will be fast and reliable instead of slow and intermittent. We can compare this to hearing other people talk– in a quiet, open area, you can hear someone’s voice fairly well. On the other hand, in a building with thick walls, listening becomes increasingly more difficult. The same is true for indoor Wi-Fi. As distance increases, the wireless signal strength decreases, and different types of walls and other obstructions will further impede the signal strength

Wi-Fi Signal Strength Loss From Indoor Walls

Wi-Fi Signal Strength Loss From Indoor Walls

Free Space Path Loss With No Attenuation from Walls

Free Space Path Loss With No Attenuation from Walls

This example shows what Wi-Fi signal strength would look like with and without building walls. The red colors represent a signal strength too low for good Wi-Fi connectivity.

Use the following guidelines to gauge how different materials in your home affect the signal strength of Wi-Fi. Keep in mind that a 3 dBm drop is equivalent to a 50% reduction in power!

  • Dry Wall: 3 dB
  • Hollow Wood Door: 4 dB
  • Brick Walls: 6 dB
  • Concrete: 8 dB
  • Refrigerator: 19 dB

What To Do:

Changing the location of a wireless router can improve the speed and connectivity for most users. You should try to put the wireless router in a more centralized location.

Take that Wireless Router out of the cabinet in the laundry room and find the right spot for it!

  1. Decide which rooms need Wi-Fi the most and measure their signal strength using inSSIDer for Home
  2. To improve the signal strength for every room, find a central location for the wireless router with as few brick walls and metal objects in the way as possible.
  3. Verify you’re getting higher signal strength with inSSIDer for Home.

Slow Zones from Competing Networks

Slow connectivity in an area can be caused by competing networks on the same or overlapping channel. When a Wi-Fi channel has a lot of active users on several networks, the speeds decrease for everyone. Unfortunately, the channel doesn’t belong to just you, and you can’t stop other networks from using it.

Your best option is to use a channel with no overlapping networks or share a channel that has networks with low signal strength. There are two types of Wi-Fi interference that can slow you down:

Co-Channel Interference – Networks sharing a channel cooperate and take turns talking. Channel bandwidth is shared between every Wi-Fi device.

Overlapping Interference – Networks on non-standard or overlapping channels are unable to cooperate, and will cause interference on neighboring networks. They share bandwidth with networks on standard channels.

Network Strength compared to Co-Channel and Overlapping Interference

Network Strength compared to Co-Channel and Overlapping Interference

inSSIDer for Home’s algorithm only measures the signal strength of a single wireless router and assumes each competing network is equally active. (For more accurate interference assessments, you will need to use more advanced tools like Spectrum and Packet Analyzers).

To avoid Wi-Fi slowness, find a channel that has the least amount of co-channel and overlapping interference. That means you want the fewest networks to be on your channel – and if they are, you want them to be relatively quiet (lower signal strength).

What To Do:

This exercise assumes you have already found an ideal central location for your wireless network. It also requires you to know how to configure and change the channel of your wireless router. If you do not know how, please consult your user manual.

inSSIDer for Home will display a link score for your network, which is a number that accounts for signal strength as well as the level of co-channel and overlapping interference. The Link Score is an estimation, and it assumes that each network is equally active.

Follow these steps to find the best channel:

  1. Use inSSIDer for Home to measure the link score in each room.
  2. Try channel 1, then 6 and 11 of your wireless router
  3. Measure the link score in each room.
  4. Choose the channel with the best aggregate link score for each room.

Dead Spots from Non-Wi-Fi devices

Sometimes you may have excellent signal strength, but little to no connectivity. These dead spots can be caused by competing wireless devices that use the same frequencies as Wi-Fi, but do not cooperate with Wi-Fi. Here are a few common devices that cause dead spots in the home:

  • Cordless Phones
  • Baby Monitors
  • Wireless Audio Systems
  • Nanny Cams
  • Microwave Ovens
  • Wireless Security Systems
Wi-Fi Networks experiencing from Non-Wi-Fi Transmitters

Wi-Fi Networks experiencing from Non-Wi-Fi Transmitters

Interference from Non-Wi-Fi Transmitters as displayed by a Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer

Interference from Non-Wi-Fi Transmitters as displayed by a Wi-Spy Spectrum Analyzer

Many wireless devices have an auto-channel selection algorithm in order to provide a better connection, but this can cause more headaches than it solves. Auto channel selection is blind to non-Wi-Fi sources, and makes its selection only on the number of interfering networks sharing the same channel. It may also put your wireless network on a non-standard channel, which introduces even more interference from multiple sources. In the end, auto channel selection does not solve any problems. If anything, it makes the problem more intermittent and extremely difficult to troubleshoot.

What To Do:

Without a Spectrum Analyzer it is difficult to definitively conclude anything regarding non-wi-fi interference. Learn more about Spectrum Analysis.

The following steps will help you systematically test other wireless devices for Wi-Fi interference:

  1. Download TamoSoft Throughput Test Utility, and install it on two computers
  2. Set up the first computer as a Server, and the second as a Client
  3. Begin the Test
  4. Turn on and use the non-Wi-Fi device in question to see if it affects the performance.
  5. Restart the wireless device to see if it changed its channel. Try this a few times, until you have determined whether or not your Wi-Fi is affected by the device.

The More You Know

Slow zones and dead spots can occur for a variety of reasons. You can avoid these pitfalls by moving your wireless router to a central location and choosing a better channel, which we’ve learned about this this lesson.

Utilizing proper Wi-Fi knowledge and troubleshooting tools as you build out into the future will ensure you are able to identify what may be the root cause of poor Wi-Fi performance. Stay tuned for our next Wi-Fi Tips and Tricks update!

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inSSIDer for Home Available Now!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by admin

If you have a wireless network in your house, you’ve probably experienced issues with your Wi-Fi’s performance at one time or another. The first step you can take towards fixing these problems is to look at how your signal strength and channel choices compare to the other networks around you. With inSSIDer for Home, you can do both.

network details pane includes a link score

One of the main features of inSSIDer for Home is the Link Score. This score is determined by looking at your signal strength, overlapping networks, and the number of SSIDs that share your channel. The higher your Link Score, the better your performance will be. You may have a totally different Link Score from one end of the house to the other, so make sure you walk around all of the areas you expect there to be Wi-Fi coverage.

new channel coloring scheme

inSSIDer for Home allows you to “star” your network. This will pin your network details to the right side of the screen, making tracking easier. The network colors in inSSIDer will change, making it easy to see the networks that share or overlap your channel. You’ll also see customized channel and security alerts, if inSSIDer notices you’re using settings that aren’t the best they could be.

network filtering

The filtering capabilities of inSSIDer for Home have been revamped as well! Filters are great for helping you track down potentially rogue access points (using filtering by Vendor) or checking for non-standard channel usage (by entering “2-5,7-10” in the Channels filter). From the first letter you type into the “SSID or Vendor” box, you’ll be presented with an auto-populated list of matches. This makes finding the networks you’re interested in even faster. You can also filter by signal strength, choosing to display either networks either above or below your supplied value.

inSSIDer for Home provides you with the foundation you need to make sure your personal Wi-Fi network is working as well as it can. Download inSSIDer for Home today, and let us know what you think!

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Get Rid of Guesswork with Expert Tips in Eye P.A. (Available in Latest Update)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by admin
The latest build of Eye P.A. just hit the net today. Version 1.6 of MetaGeek’s visual packet analysis tool includes the great features Wi-Fi troubleshooters expect – interactive Treepies, time graph, and filtering engine – and a huge new enhancement you’re sure to love: the new ANALYZE tab.

EyePA now opens your .pcap file in a new way with a new progress window

One thing you’ll notice right away is the new look of the application while you’re opening a .pcap file. Now, in the lower-right hand corner, you’ll see a small window displaying your files’ progress.

After opening your packet capture file, click over to the ANALYZE tab. Clicking the Star icon next to the networks you’re interested in optimizing, you will be presented with observations and expert tips relating to your networks and their channel.

At the top of the observations, you’ll find a pie chart that displays what percentage of the recording’s airtime is taken up by your network(s), and how it compares to the amount of airtime used by other networks and the amount available as a whole.

Eye PA now has a feature that will provide Expert Tips, helping you understand what is happening on your network. Click on the ANALYZE TAB to check it out.

Below the Air Time pie chart is the coolest part of the Analyze tab: the expert tips. When Eye P.A. processes your packet capture, it takes note of the amount of retransmissions, non-standard channels, the presence of legacy devices, and more! When you star a network for optimization, Eye P.A. will inform you of any observed issues.

If Eye P.A. finds something to tell you about, you’ll see a bold headline for the tip category along with a “Learn More” prompt that gives you some background. In addition to a general idea of the detected issue, Eye P.A. will provide you with the information you need to fix the problem– whether it’s a table of clients to examine, or a next step to take.

Download the latest Eye P.A. update today and check out the new Expert Tips.

If you haven’t already purchased – try a full-featured 15-day trial of Eye P.A for free..

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Stress Testing 30 iPads in a Classroom

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin
APstotest

Recently, Wireless Lan Professionals performed a Wi-Fi stress test aimed at proving how well Wi-Fi vendors can handle a K-12 classroom full of iPads. The Wi-Fi stress test did not compare software features offered by the various Wi-Fi access point vendors – it was strictly a test of how they utilize a single access point to send video to 30 or more iPads.

MetaGeek’s tools helped visualize the density of the wireless traffic during the testing. Chanalyzer Pro helped measure the channel saturation in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Eye P.A. measured the efficiency of the network by counting the retransmits and calculating the air time used.

Spectrum Bandwidth.

The time where a 2.4 GHz-only solution is sufficient has come and gone. Dual Band access points can relieve 2.4 GHz congestion by steering 5 GHz capable devices into a different band. When implemented correctly, band steering can improve the speeds for all connected devices.

During the Wi-Fi stress test, spectrum analysis measurements of the channels helped gauge how much traffic should be allocated to each band. For example, if the channel in the 2.4 GHz had existing Wi-Fi traffic, more iPads would be steered to the 5 GHz. Fortunately, both channels were equally free. To get the most out of the channels, a 50% distribution to channels 11 and 36 would yield the best results.

utilization

However, the Wi-Fi stress test proved that some access points prefer the 5 GHz over the 2.4 GHz. This means that they steered all of the 5 GHz compatible equipment to channel 36 leaving the 2.4 GHz unused. This caused the iPads to experience more failures earlier in the test than expected.

Uneven Band Steering (10 iPads Max) Uniform Band Steering (25 iPads Max)
5 GHz saturation 24 bad

5 GHz Saturation.

 uniform 5 ghz saturation

5 GHz Saturation.

2.4 ghz bad

2.4 GHz Unused.

uniform 24 ghz saturation

2.4 GHz GHz Saturation.

Don’t assume the 2.4 GHz is useless without measuring it with a spectrum analyzer. A spectrum analyzer can help you gauge how much air time is still available on the channel when you make a band steering decision.

AirTime Fairness

After the iPads ‘picked’ their channel during the Wi-Fi Stress Test, their conversations were captured using MetaGeek’s Eye P.A. software to measure the air time efficiency. Every Wi-Fi device negotiates the speed at which its conversations are transmitted at. Devices that are far away from the access point will talk slower and repeat themselves more often. Think of a college classroom full of students having to listen to a first grader’s show and tell in its entirety – twice. The first grader talks at a very basic level and prevents the rest of the class from speaking at a rate suitable to their needs. The trick here is to have all of the Wi-Fi devices using modern 802.11n technology and disabling legacy data rates in the WLAN. This frees up a significant amount of air time for more iPads.

To measure air time allocation between iPads you can use a packet analyzer like Eye P.A. This software builds a TreePie to represent the disproportionate amount time some devices may use on the channel.

airtime fairness

Devices with high retransmission levels can definitely eat up more air time. Retransmissions occur when the original sender does not hear an acknowledgement and repeats the original transmission. This adversely affects network performance because it can double or triple the amount of airtime necessary to send a single frame. High retransmissions were the downfall of a few vendors as we saw in the packet analysis software.

Improving WLAN Efficiency

Some of the Vendors tweaked their settings before the test to improve their overall performance. If you deploy wireless networks for dense environments similar to a classroom full of iPads these tricks might benefit you.

Higher Minimum Data Rates for Wi-Fi Overhead.

Since the environment was comprised of 802.11n compatible iPads, there was no need to support legacy data rates such as 1, 2, 5.5 or 11Mbps. Since many Wi-Fi access points default to legacy compatibility these rates needed to be disabled.

40 MHz Wide Channels in 5 GHz band.

iPads streaming video build a buffer incrementally. When an access point can finish transmissions quicker it leaves more air time available for other iPads. Wider channels help the iPads get on and off the channel quicker. Keep in mind that only the iPad 4 supports 40 MHz wide channels.

Wi-Fi Stress Test Results

MetaGeek is a vendor neutral company. Please visit http://wirelesslanprofessionals.com/ to download the full report and analysis.

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Try out the new inSSIDer3 Preview Release.

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Ryan

Many of you may not know the history of inSSIDer and how it came to be created. Work on inSSIDer began back in 2007 when MetaGeek was still a tiny company of four people, and we had just created Wi-Spy 2.4x.

Netstumbler was still the most popular Wi-Fi scanner, but the developer hadn’t worked on it since 2005, so it had issues on 64-bit Windows XP and on Windows Vista. At that time Chanalyzer only showed spectrum data, no Wi-Fi information at all, which meant you had to use a separate tool to get a list of Wi-Fi networks while troubleshooting with Wi-Spy, and with Netstumbler development stopped, this was starting to become a problem for our customers.

We decided to build Wi-Fi scanning into our Chanalyzer software, so that it would show RF spectrum data from Wi-Spy *and* list all of the nearby Wi-Fi networks. Being a tiny company with a very limited marketing budget, we decided that creating a free Wi-Fi scanner to replace Netstumbler would get us more awareness than any advertising would. We built inSSIDer at the same time that we were building Wi-Fi scanning into Chanalyzer and released inSSIDer 1.0 in January 2008 (Chanalyzer didn’t get Wi-Fi scanning for another six months).

inSSIDer started getting noticed by places like Tekzilla and Network World and after 14 months it reached 100,000 downloads! Since then it has steadily gained popularity and has now been downloaded 8 million times and has almost 40,000 users every day!

The original inSSIDer design was influenced by Netstumbler, which was mainly used for wardriving. The Channels View was introduced in inSSIDer 1.1 and was heavily influenced by our Chanalyzer application. Since then some colors have changed and we’ve added GPS logging, but the overall design of inSSIDer hasn’t changed very much.

Inssider 1.0

Today about 90% of users use inSSIDer to help improve their personal home Wi-Fi. Over 80% of users identify their Wi-Fi skill level as beginner or intermediate, yet over 30% say Wi-Fi is critical and troubleshoot Wi-Fi at least monthly. Given these statistics we decided it was time to rethink inSSIDer and design it from the ground up with the goal of helping users improve their Wi-Fi quickly and easily, while providing education on Wi-Fi best practices.

Upon launching inSSIDer 3, the first thing you’ll notice is that “Customize inSSIDer” options allowing you to specify your expertise level and your location type (home, office, school). The “Learn” screen has also been streamlined to show more relevant information based on the user customizations.

The Networks Tab contains the standard Networks Table and Channels Views, and also adds a Network Details panel to the right of the table. The Network Details panel shows extra information about the selected network in the table, allowing the table to be simpler. This also provides a place to add additional information, such as showing the MCS Index for 802.11n networks (coming in a future release).

The Channels Views below the table looks similar to the Channels View in inSSIDer 2. All networks are displayed the same, regardless of which network(s) you are interested in.

In inSSIDer 3 you can now identify your network in the Network Details panel by starring it. Once a network has been starred, the colors of all the networks in the Channels View changes to highlight your network, networks on the same channel as your network, and networks that overlap your network. This provides a quick snapshot of the networks that could be conflicting with your network. Clicking the small clipboard icon in the top right corner of each panel will copy the table or image to the clipboard; this makes it easier to create a report if you are using inSSIDer for work.

 


In the Works…

Upcoming releases will include channel recommendations and security warnings, customized for each users skill level and environment.

 

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Faster Reporting with Eye P.A., Improved Exporting Features.

Posted on December 7, 2012 by admin

If you haven’t already, download the latest build of MetaGeek’s WLAN packet crunching tool – Eye P.A. You will be excited about some of the changes that MetaGeek implemented because they help you quickly identify and document common wireless problems that you were previously blind to.

Download the trial and try out the new features today.

Copy to Clipboard

Each pane in Eye P.A. can now be exported as an image or CSV data via your clipboard. The treepies and data tables in Eye P.A. will help you create compelling reports about WLAN network issues. Click on the clipboard icon at any time to capture the view wherever you are within a recording in Eye P.A.

Copy any pane in Eye P.A. to clipboard.

Time Graph

As you navigate through Eye P.A.’s Treepies, the time graph will also change to reflect the current drill-down. This is especially useful for determining exactly when a client transmitted a burst of frames.

Frame and SubFrame Filters

Quickly disable all subframe types of Management, Data or Control frames by checking the Frame Type Filter. This will help you eliminate the Management overhead, allowing you to quickly examine only the Data Frames if you prefer.

Time Delta

Evaluating how much airtime occurred between packet transmissions is now easier with a Time Delta column in the Packets View. Eye P.A. now lists the time it took between a single frame and its predecessor. The delta between 802.11 frames can indicate delays or interruptions in the conversation.

Enhance your packet analysis experience by creating direct packet capture files within Eye P.A. using an AirPcap Nx.

Thanks for checking out the new features of Eye P.A. – download the latest release today!

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Wireless Security Basics

Posted on December 1, 2012 by admin

In this lesson, you’ll learn some of the basics of Wi-Fi security. We’ll also share our recommendation on which type you should choose – eliminating the guesswork and helping you keep your network as secure as possible.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF WIRELESS SECURITY?

There are several types of wireless security that you’ll come across– here’s a quick rundown on the details.

WEP

Wired Equivalent Privacy, aka WEP, is the grandfather of wireless security types, dating back to 1999 (an eternity in the world of technology!). When a client (like your laptop or iPad) connects to a WEP-protected network, the WEP key is added to some data to create an “initialization vector”, or “IV” for short. For example, a 128-bit hexadecimal key is comprised of 26 characters from the keyboard (totaling 104 bits) combined with a 24-bit IV. When a client goes to connect to an AP, it sends a request to authenticate, which is met with a challenge reply from the AP. The client encrypts the challenge with the key, the AP decrypts it, and if the challenge it receives matches the original one it sent, the AP will authenticate the client.

This may sound secure, but there was room in this scheme for an exploit to be discovered. The risk presents itself when a client sends its request to the access point– the portion containing the IV is transmitted wirelessly in clear-text (not encrypted). In addition, the IV is simple compared to the key, and when there are several clients using the same WEP key on a network, IVs have an increased probability of repeating. In a busy environment, a malicious user wishing to gain access to a network utilizing WEP security can passively eavesdrop and quickly collect IVs. When enough IVs have been collected, the key becomes trivial to decrypt.

Clearly, WEP is not the correct choice for securing your network, and in light of this, other types of wireless security were created.

WPA

Wi-FI Protected Access (WPA) was ratified by the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2003 as a response to the insecurities that were discovered in WEP. This new security standard, the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), included several enhancements over WEP, including a new message integrity check nicknamed “Michael.”

While Michael offered a great deal of improvement over the old way of securing networks, there was still some worry about some security issues with using a similar (though much stronger) implementation.

WPA2

The concerns about Michael led to WPA2’s introduction in 2004. At the center of WPA2 is its use of a security protocol based on Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the U.S. Government’s preferred choice of encryption.

As it stands now, the only people who should still be using TKIP on a wireless network are those who are dealing with hardware that is rated for 802.11g only.

WPS

In 2007, a new security method – Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) – began to show up on wireless access points. With this type of security, a user is able to add new devices to their network by simply pushing a button (within administration software or physically on the router) and then typing in an 8-digit PIN number on the client device. The PIN feature acts as a sort of shortcut for entering in a longer WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) key. The basic idea behind WPS is that having physical access to the AP to hit a button and reading a sticker would provide a more secure implementation of Wi-Fi authentication. Everything was well and good in the WPS world, until last winter, when a security researcher discovered the Achilles Heel in the implementation. Here’s how it works:

The eighth and final digit of the PIN number is a checksum, which is used to make sure the 7 digits that matter don’t get corrupted. From these 7 digits, we can see that there are 10,000,000 possibilities (since each of the 7 digits can be 0-9, with repeats allowed). This is still a pretty huge amount of possibilities, and alone could arguably still be considered quite safe — but there’s a flaw in the checking process. When a PIN is being examined by the AP, the first 4 digits (10,000 possibilities) are checked separately from the last 3 digits (1,000 possibilities). This translates into a malicious user only needing to make at most 11,000 guesses, which a computer can handle in a matter of hours!

As you can see, if you or someone you know is currently using WPS on an access point, you should disable the feature ASAP.

OUR RECOMMENDATION

If your access point or clients are only capable of using WEP, it’s time for you to look at upgrading your technology, for the sake of increased security– not to mention increased throughput speeds on newer devices.

Right now, the best security for your Wi-Fi network is WPA2 with WPS disabled. Using this security combination provides the most secure Wi-Fi network possible today, and gives you the peace of mind you need to “set it and forget it.”

Besides, do you really want to trust a single button to provide all the security for your network? If WPA2 with WPS disabled ever becomes vulnerable, we’ll be sure and keep you updated on the adjustments you should make to remain secure.

Learn More

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Update alert! New Mac software from MetaGeek.

Posted on November 19, 2012 by mark

We know that a lot of Mac users hate booting up Windows, whether in a VM or separate partition. To provide an alternative to the wait times associated with running a virtual machine, we’re pleased to announce updates to our Mac software :-)

Chanalyzer for Mac

The first thing you’ll notice is that we’ve tweaked the interface to bring greater visual continuity between our Mac and Windows versions of the software. It’s pretty nice to not have to try to remember differences between platforms.

However, the best part of this update is Chanalyzer for Mac’s new ability to create recordings of the spectrum and Wi-Fi data it receives. The recordings are stored in our .wsx format, and are fully compatible with Chanalyzer 4 and Chanalyzer Pro on Windows. This flexibility ensures you’re not tied down to either OS when creating your spectrum scans, and hey, it’s one more excuse to use a Mac at work, right?

Download Chanalyzer For Mac Today

By the way, Chanalyzer for Mac is free, but requires a Wi-Spy to use.
(works with Mac OS X 10.7 or greater)

 

inSSIDer for Mac

While we’ve been working on Chanalyzer for Mac, we also gave inSSIDer for Mac a bit of an update. inSSIDer for Mac is now fully optimized for Mountain Lion and includes several bug fixes for improved stability!

With inSSIDer, you’ll be able to see a visual representation of where the active networks are around you and track them over time. Using your Mac’s built-in wireless card, you’ll be able to scan both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz, if your card has dual band capability. Armed with this information, you can make an informed decision to select best possible channel for your network.

Download inSSIDer For Mac Today

Between these two updates for our Mac offerings, there’s really no need to fire up Windows for your Wi-Fi network discovery and spectrum recording needs!

 

 

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