Choosing the optimal location of the access device in the Wi-Fi network. Wifi network card: types, principle of operation and connection Wifi signal distribution map for android

The television

In the world of technological progress and global computerization, rapidly developing technologies have touched everyone modern user... Access to the World Wide Web is no longer limited to using only one computer.

Today, in every home, almost all family members, young and old, have one or more various devices with access to the network. In this case, it is very convenient to install a Wi-Fi access point and send a signal to any connected equipment. Modern devices, such as laptops, tablets, phones, have built-in Wi-Fi receivers, making them easy to network.

A network card, or network adapter, is the part of a computer that makes it interact with the network. With the exception of outdated device models, many laptops and computers are equipped with a network adapter during production. This provides the ability to connect to the internet without purchasing a separate item. But, despite the built-in adapter, you can and should purchase an additional external device, expanding the data exchange capabilities.

The network card can be integrated into the motherboard or external. Regardless of the variety, it is assigned a Mac address, through which the identification of the computer connected to the network is carried out.

Wi-Fi network card

The computer can be connected to the Internet physically using a cable connected to the network port of the PC, or wirelessly, which does not require the use of connectors.

The Wi-Fi network card causes the computer to receive the signal from the wireless network. It can be connected to the PCI slot of the motherboard or the USB port of a computer, less often to Ethernet (basically, this type of connection is applicable to old devices). A Wi-Fi card plugged into the USB port of a PC or laptop is the most convenient in terms of mobility, it is easy to connect it to another device if necessary.

In addition to the connection method and appearance, there are differences in the speed and power of the adapter. Some cards are only capable of receiving signals, while others are also capable of transmitting. Adapters equipped with Soft AP function provide Wi-Fi access point creation.

The range of reception and transmission of a signal can be carried out both over long distances up to hundreds of meters, and limited to a small access area. As in the case of a router, there is no need to use too powerful network cards for home use, unless, of course, you are going to distribute Wi-Fi to all neighbors or pick up someone else's signal. In addition, the price will depend on the power of the model, and it is inappropriate to overpay for a card that will work in a small area. More hefty models of adapters are applicable on a large territory of offices or enterprises.

How the Wi-Fi adapter works

Access to the Internet over a wireless network is carried out thanks to the joint work of a network card and a router or modem. Wi-Fi technology operates on a specific frequency range. Data exchange with the network is carried out through a router or a modem, which communicates with the air by radio waves. For computer perception of the radio signal, a network card is used, which reads and converts the signal into an electronic one. All devices equipped with an adapter and within the range of the router's transmitter will receive the received signal. To digitize the data for their recognition by the device, the adapter is equipped with a microcircuit and special software that controls the operation of the module. For the correct operation process, the necessary drivers must be installed.

Types of adapters

All adapters fall into two main categories:

External. Such network devices are connected through the port USB computer or laptop. They do not have a high data transfer rate, but they pleasantly compensate for this disadvantage with a price, which is why they are the most popular today. In appearance, such adapters are similar to USB drives. To get started, you need to plug the device into a free port and connect to a wireless connection.

Internal, or built-in. They are connected to the PCI connector of the motherboard. To install this type of adapter, you will have to remove the cover of the system unit. The size of the built-in network card is larger than that of the external one. This variant of the device has a good bandwidth, providing a high data transfer rate. The price of the issue will be significantly higher than that of external adapters.

There is one more, not widely spread version of devices - card (Card-Bus). This type of adapter plugs into a PC Card slot, if yours has one. computer technology.

Wireless network cards can be connected not only to computers and laptops. A separate niche is occupied by external adapters for TVs. They can be both universal and designed for specific models. If the TV is not equipped with a Wi-Fi receiver, but has an appropriate connector, you can purchase a compatible adapter to connect to a network source.

Antennas for network cards

A device with an external antenna receives the signal better. Of course, the dimensions of the receiver do not always contribute to comfort, so you can choose an adapter with a detachable antenna or with a connector, where you can insert it if necessary.

The antenna power when choosing a device should be appropriate for the location where you want to install the network.

The number of antennas affects the transmission rate. Models equipped with removable antennas are very convenient in the case of a distant location of the router, if necessary, it is possible to install a more powerful structure for receiving radio waves. External antennas provide long range.

Installing and configuring a Wi-Fi adapter

Despite the significant differences in network cards by type and type of connection, they are all configured according to a similar principle.

First, you need to connect the adapter physically to the desired connector on your computer or laptop. Windows will detect new hardware. Although there will always be compatible programs in the system set of programs, it is still better to install the drivers from the disk supplied with the network device for correct operation. You can also download the necessary software from the manufacturer's official website. The exchange of data through the adapter occurs thanks to the driver, which is why it is better to install software that is suitable specifically for your device model.

After installing the Wi-Fi card, a network connection icon will appear, click on it and find the TCP / IP Internet protocol in the properties of the wireless network connection. Here you need to enter the settings of the network parameters, they need to be found out by contacting the technical support of your provider, and entered in the fields for filling. Settings can also be assigned automatically. When you have selected the desired options and access points, it remains to assign a Mac address to the card. This task is performed by the network administrator, to do this, call technical support and notify about the adapter change and the need to change the Mac address.

When choosing a network device, pay attention not only to the functionality, because you will not use all the capabilities of the card, and the price for a wide range of functions will increase several times. Pay attention to some factors, such as the size of your room in which the Wi-Fi network will be used, the distance between the router and the computer, and the thickness of the walls. The manufacturer also plays a significant role in the reliability of products; it is better to choose a proven, proven product quality, such as in the computer equipment market in abundance. It is advisable to purchase adapters from the same manufacturer as the router or modem, thereby ensuring the best device compatibility.

To work with large wireless networks, there are a sufficient number of good multifunctional software solutions on the market that allow comprehensive testing of WiFi networks. However, you will often find it easier to use a simpler free toolkit to get a quick glimpse of the airwaves during design, deployment, or troubleshooting. We present to your attention an overview of the most interesting free programs for diagnosing WiFi networks.

As part of this article, we will present you nine free software tools - most of them based on Windows operating systems, others on macOS or Android - that will provide you with basic information about existing WiFi signals in range: SSIDs, signal strength channels used, MAC addresses and types of protection of a particular network. Some of them can detect hidden SSIDs, detect noise levels, or provide statistics on the success and failure of your wireless connection's sent and received packets. One solution includes a WiFi password cracking toolkit, which is extremely useful for finding vulnerabilities and assessing security when testing your wireless network's security against hacking.

Note also that most of the tools described below are free versions of commercial solutions distributed by the same vendor, but with reduced functionality.

Wireless scanner local area networks Acrylic WiFi Home is a stripped-down version of Tarlogic Security's commercial solution. Version 3.1, considered in this review article, attracts attention, primarily due to the granularity of the wireless environment and advanced graphical capabilities for displaying the collected information. The functionality of this solution includes: an overview of the found WiFi networks supporting 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac standards; detection of unauthorized access points and display of connected clients; scanning and analysis of WiFi channels used by wireless networks at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz; building graphs of the received signal level and its power for WiFi access points.

WiFi Scanner for Windows Acrylic WiFi Home will allow you to scan and view available wireless networks in real time, provide information about detected WiFi networks (SSID and BSSID), their type of protection and wireless devices connected to the network at the moment, and will also provide a list of WiFi passwords (set by default by manufacturers) thanks to the built-in plugin system.

As a free product, Acrylic WiFi Home 3.1 has a simple yet attractive graphical interface. A detailed list of SSIDs is located at the top of the app. Here, in particular, you can find: negative values \u200b\u200bin dBm for the indicator of the received signal strength (Received Signal Strength Indicator, RSSI), supported by access points or WiFi-routers 802.11 standard (including 802.11ac), manufacturer name, model and MAC addresses network devices. The solution recognizes the used bandwidth and displays all the channels used for this. It does not look for hidden SSIDs, but it can show them if it finds network data that indicates the presence of hidden networks. The application also has functionality for inventorying the operation of WiFi networks, allowing you to assign and save the names of detected SSIDs and / or clients (for the free version, this feature has quantitative restrictions on use).

At the bottom of the application screen, by default, a visual rating information is displayed for the network characteristics of the selected SSID. There is also a graph of the signal strength and power of all detected access points. When you switch to the advanced mode of displaying the status of wireless networks, you will receive two additional graphs - for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands - which simultaneously display information about the channels used, including those combined into one "wide" channel, and signal level data.

It is extremely inconvenient to export or save captured data, since the development company software decided to over-cut this functionality in a free solution: you can copy no more than one line of data to the clipboard and then paste the text into a text document or spreadsheet. There is also a function to post a screenshot to Twitter.

Overall, Acrylic WiFi Home is a good WLAN software scanner, especially considering that it costs nothing. It collects all the basic information about your wireless space and clearly demonstrates the obtained data, both in text and graphical form, which is perfect for simple tasks of diagnosing WiFi networks. The main disadvantage of this solution can be considered large problems with data export, or rather, the actual lack of such an opportunity in view of the functionality cut by the manufacturer itself in the free solution.

AirScout Live (Android)

Greenlee's AirScout Live app turns your Android smartphone into a handy and portable WiFi analyzer. AirScout Live has seven modes of operation, four of which can be used completely free of charge without any restrictions for Android devices. The commercial version, unlike the free one, is compatible with most desktop computers (Windows) and mobile devices (Android and iOS). With the help of the basic functionality, you can quickly, mobile and, importantly, solve problems related to insufficient WiFi signal in some places of your office or home for free.

AirScout live will show all the characteristics of the access points detected in the range: from signal strength and security protocols to equipment capabilities. It will allow you to determine the least congested channel, measure the signal strength at each point of the WiFi network and identify places with insufficient signal strength. It will help identify sources of interference by analyzing channel usage parameters in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Using the program, you can choose the optimal location for the location of the access points in order to provide the highest quality WiFi coverage of the premises and configure it for maximum performance without buying additional equipment. In addition, the AirScout app allows you to take snapshots of the WiFi network and save locally or upload them to the cloud.

AirScout Live is very easy to use and requires no additional training. The user interface looks attractive and intuitive. The first two menu items - "AP Chart" and "AP Table" - will provide you with visual and comprehensive information about all the characteristics of the access points that are in sight. Access point coverage graphs will visually show you the dependence of the signal level of each of them and the channel load in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Extended tabular information about each access point (SSID, Mac address, hardware vendor, channel used, channel width, received signal level in dBm and security settings) are available in the second menu item.

The "Timeline" item will allow you to see all the access points that your Android device has detected in the observed location, and their graph of the signal level changes in dBm with reference to time. So, for example, if you are exploring a network that consists of several access points, this information will help you understand what signal level each of them will be in a given location, and how the client device will switch between them. In addition, the choice of a particular access point highlights its signal strength, which helps the visual perception of information.

The "Signal Strength" item will allow you to visually test the signal strength for each access point over time. You can select a specific SSID and see the current, as well as the minimum and maximum signal strength recorded by the device for this access point. The original interpretation of the results obtained in the form of a red-yellow-green speedometer will make it possible to visually verify whether this or that function will work in this particular place or not. For example, a stable signal strength in the green zone will tell you that here you will not have problems with such resource-intensive technologies as voice over IP or streaming video in Full HD. Being in the yellow zone will indicate the availability of only web surfing. Well, the red zone will mean big problems with signal reception from this access point in this place.

For use additional functionsthat are not available in the free version of the software without additional equipment (identification of the most common problems: suboptimal signal coverage or incorrect channel selection; identification of sources of interference, including from "non-WiFi" devices; optimization of configurations of WiFi networks adjacent to networks 4; tune WiFi performance by comparing signal strength and usage; Ookla speed test and more) you need an AirScout controller or kit that includes a controller and remote clients.

AirScout Live is a great app that, above all, attracts with its mobility. Agree, having a tool that will always be at hand is worth a lot. The free version of the product provides you with all the information you need to quickly analyze the health of small office or home WiFi networks and identify underlying performance issues. The intuitive interface and competent graphic design of the obtained measurement results not only leave a good impression, but also help speed up the work with the application.

Cain & Abel is a multipurpose application for Windows operating systems for recovering and cracking passwords, which is also equipped with tools to intercept and analyze network traffic, including WiFi networks. Like the previous solution (Acrylic WiFi Home), Cain & Abel is a powerful network analyzer capable of capturing and processing most of the wireless network traffic.

Its graphical interface has a relatively ancient, simplistic look. The toolbar (old style with icons at the top of the screen) is used to launch various utilities. Access to the main functional parts of the application is through the tabs of the windows.

Through the "Wireless" tab, we get access to functional tools for analyzing network traffic of WiFi networks. In addition to the usual information about SSIDs and various signaling information, you can also find a list and details of connected clients here. For access points and clients, Cain & Abel provides information on the number of packets detected: all packets, WEP Initialization Vector (WEP IV) security protocol initialization vectors, and ARP requests. Any hidden SSIDs found from captured packets will be displayed in the GUI. Most of the intercepted statuses and data can be exported to a simple text file.

Despite the enormous functional potential of this solution, such shortcomings as the lack of visual graphs, as well as the inability to recognize 802.11ac access points and determine wider channels, do not allow Cain & Abel to be called the best choice for monitoring and analyzing WiFi networks. This solution is worth looking at if your tasks go far beyond simple traffic analysis. With it, you can recover Windows passwords, launch attacks to retrieve lost credentials, study VoIP data on the network, analyze packet routing, and much more. This is a really powerful toolkit for a system administrator with broad powers.

Ekahau HeatMapper is a mapping software tool for deploying small wireless networks at home and determining the optimal location for installing an AP. This is a simplified free version of professional solutions from Ekahau. The software provides the same network information as a WiFi wireless scanner, but also generates a WiFi heatmap so you can visualize signal levels. Within the framework of this review, we will focus on version 1.1.4.

The software offers the ability to create a plan or model of the object that is being investigated, as well as design a wireless network topology on a grid for approximate orientation.

The left side of the main screen of the user interface displays a list of wireless networks and their data, sorted by signal, channel, SSID, MAC address, and security type. This list includes basic information, but does not include dBm signal level and percentage values. In addition, the application does not recognize 802.11ac-enabled networks, treating them as 802.11n.

Using the Ekahau HeatMapper, as with other mapping tools, you mark your current location on a map as you walk around a building to generate a heatmap of WiFi coverage. Ekahau HeatMapper will automatically calculate the location of the access points and place them on the map. After all the data has been collected, an interactive heatmap of WiFi coverage is generated. So, for example, when you hover the cursor over the access point icon, its coverage will be separately highlighted; and when you hover over an area of \u200b\u200bthe heat map, a pop-up window will pop up a hint for the received signal level with a negative dBm value for that point.

According to reviews, the Ekahau HeatMapper software solution is an overly simplified WiFi map scanner: the manufacturers have removed almost all additional functionality from the free version, making this solution a truly home version. Also, the only export or save option available is to simply take a screenshot of the map.

However, Ekahau's HeatMapper solution can be used for small networks or to get a basic understanding of how more professional map-based tools work.

Homedale software utility is a relatively simple and portable (does not require installation) wireless network scanner for Windows (currently version 1.75 available) and macOS (currently available version 1.03) with an optional interface command line... In addition to displaying basic information about wireless networks and signals, this utility also supports positioning using GPS and other positioning technologies.

This utility has a simple graphical interface that looks more like a multi-tabbed dialog box than a full-fledged application. The first tab "Adapters" displays a list of all network adapters, as well as their IP gateways and MAC addresses.

The Access Points tab contains a lot of important information. There is no information about the 802.11 standard of each SSID, but here you will find all supported data rates, as well as the numbers of all channels used by each SSID at a given time, including those with a larger channel width. There is also no listing of hidden networks, but other network data is shown that indicate the presence of hidden SSIDs. Also very useful is the ability to save notes for individual SSIDs, which can then be included in any data export.

In the Access Point Signal Graph tab, you will find the change in negative values \u200b\u200bin dBm for the received signal strength indicator over time for all selected SSIDs. The implementation of access to this functionality cannot be called very convenient and intuitive - the choice of wireless networks for monitoring and comparison is made by double-clicking on the desired SSID from the list of the previous "Access Points" tab.

The "Frequency of use" tab illustrates in real time a graphical dependence of the frequencies used by each SSID (for convenience, divided into channels) and the signal level values. The channel usage visualization is displayed for the 2.4 GHz band and each subset of the 5 GHz band. The utility performs its task - it visually demonstrates the occupancy of each channel - but it would be more convenient if we had the opportunity to have a single idea of \u200b\u200bthe 5 GHz frequency, instead of dividing it into four separate graphs.

In addition, Homedale offers excellent options, both for a free application, for exporting collected data. For example, it supports saving the network list in a tabular form in CSV format, recording the results of each scan in the log (it will be useful if you move while scanning), as well as saving an image of each graph.

Despite its very simple graphical user interface, Homedale provides more advanced functionality than you would expect from it. In addition, I would like to note the rather impressive, as for a free program, the ability to record and export data, as well as location.

LizardSystems offers a free version of its WiFi Scanner software for non-commercial use, which has the same features and functionality as their paid product. Version 3.4 of the solution is currently available. Besides WiFi scanner, this solution also offers excellent functionality for analysis and reporting.

The application has a modern graphical interface, intuitive and easy to use. The Scanner tab contains a list of detected SSIDs. In addition to the standard detailed information, here you will also find signal level values \u200b\u200bin both negative dBm and percentage values. It even shows the number of clients that are connected to each SSID. Also, along with the specification of 802.11 standards, the solution can define and report multiple channels used by any SSID with a larger channel width.

You can use the list of visible SSIDs to filter the input according to the following parameters: signal strength, supported 802.11 standard, security types and used frequency bands. At the bottom of the "Scanner" tab there are graphs that you can switch between. In addition to typical graphs showing the signal strength and used channels, visualized data on the data transfer rate, channel utilization and number of clients are also available. The bottom of the screen displays information about the current connection. In the Advanced Information tab, you will find various data about network activity, down to the number of unprocessed packets.

The Current Connection tab displays more detailed information about the current wireless connection. This is where you can access and manage the list of wireless profiles saved in Windows 10, which can be helpful as this latest version of the Windows operating system no longer provides native access and management of this list. The Wireless Statistics tab provides graphs and statistics for different types packets for both the physical (PHY) layer and the link (MAC) layer, which will be useful for advanced network analysis.

LizardSystems WiFi Scanner software solution offers advanced export and reporting capabilities. Basic functionality allows you to save a list of networks in a text file. In addition, you can generate reports summarizing the types of networks found by scanning, with all registered SSIDs, any comments you added, and graph snapshots. These are pretty impressive features for a free WiFi scanner.

Thus, LizardSystems' WiFi Scanner really impresses with its functionality, including filtering and reporting capabilities, as well as advanced information about transmitted data packets. It can be an important part of your travel toolbox for maintaining and testing WiFi networks, but remember that the free license is only available for personal use.

NetSpot (Windows and macOS)

NetSpot App is a software solution for researching, analyzing and improving WiFi networks. The commercial version uses mapping tools for thermal imaging of coverage areas, but it is not available in the free version for home use. However, this solution is offered for both Windows and macOS operating networks. In this review article, we will look at NetSpot Free version 2.8 is a free, significantly stripped-down version of the company's paid products for home and corporate use.

The NetSpot Discover tab is a WiFi scanner. Despite the simple graphical interface, it has a modern look, and the network details of each SSID are displayed in bold and clearly visible. Signal levels are shown in negative dBm values \u200b\u200b(current, minimum and maximum), as well as percentage. Hidden networks in the free version are not displayed, as well as the ability to export data is not supported (although there is such a button, it is not active).

When you click on the "Details" button at the bottom of the application window, combined graphs of signals and channels used for each WiFi range are displayed, generated for the SSIDs selected from the list. In addition, the signaling information for each SSID is displayed in a tabular form so you can see the exact values \u200b\u200bthe application gets from each scan.

Overall, the free version of NetSpot does a good job of detecting WiFi networks (although it doesn't support hidden networks). And yet, the free solution has very limited functionality, which is eloquently indicated by broken links to a large number additional opportunities - this is the inaccessibility of visualizations, and the inability to use a heat map, and the lack of export.

WirelessNetView (Windows)

WirelessNetView is a small utility from the NirSoft web resource that runs in the background and monitors the activity of wireless networks around you. It is offered free of charge for personal and commercial purposes. This is a fairly basic WiFi scanner available in both handheld and installation configurations. Within the framework of this article, version 1.75 is considered.

WirelessNetView's graphical user interface is not very sophisticated - it's just a window listing the wireless networks. The following information is available for each detected network: SSID, signal quality at the current time, average signal quality over the entire observation time, detection counter, authentication algorithm, information encryption algorithm, MAC address, RSSI, channel frequency, channel number, etc. ...

Thus, this utility provides signal level indicators in negative dBm values, as well as in percentage terms for the last received signal and the average for the entire observation time. But it would be even better if we also had access to the average values \u200b\u200bfor the RSSI of a particular access point over the entire observation time. Another unique piece of the analytics available that WirelessNetView offers is how often each SSID is detected, which can be useful in certain situations.

Double-clicking on any of the detected wireless networks will open a dialog box with all the information about a specific network, which can be very convenient, since your screen is clearly not wide enough to view all the details in the main list. Right-clicking on any network in the list will save the data for that specific wireless network or all detected networks to text or HTML files. The Options toolbar menu displays some options and additional functionality such as filtering, MAC address formatting, and other display preferences.

Please note that this utility lacks a number of advanced features that we would expect to see in modern WiFi scanners. First of all, we are talking about a graphical presentation of information, full support for the 802.11ac standard and, accordingly, the recognition of all channels occupied by an access point, which can use a large channel width. However, WirelessNetView can still be useful for simple monitoring of wireless networks or small WiFi spaces, especially if you find some of the utility's unique functionality valuable.

Wireless Diagnostics (macOS)

Starting with OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.4 and later operating systems, Apple provides the Wireless Diagnostics tool. It is more than just a WiFi scanner; it can help detect and fix WiFi connection problems. Best of all, it is the native toolkit included with the operating system. For this review, we will take a look at the Wireless Diagnostics software solution included with macOS High Sierra (version 10.13).

To get started, press the Option key and then click on the Airport / WiFi icon at the top of MacOS. You will have more information about your current WiFi connection, as well as access to the "Wireless Diagnostics" shortcut.

Opening Wireless Diagnostics will launch a wizard called “Assistant,” which may ask for additional information such as the make and model of the router and its location. Tests will then run to detect problems. Once verified, a summary of the results will be shown, and clicking the icon for each result will show extended details and suggestions.

While not entirely obvious, there are more tools available to you as well, not just the aforementioned wizard. While the wizard dialog box is open, clicking the Window button at the top of the toolbar will provide access to additional utilities.

Scan Utility is a simple WiFi scanner that shows common data about detected wireless networks, as well as a brief description of network types and best channels. One of its main advantages is that it shows noise levels in WiFi channels that most of the Windows scanners presented in this article do not. However, it would be more convenient if all channels that use specific SSIDs with a larger channel width were listed, and not just the channel width and center channel would be shown.

The Info utility demonstrates the current network connection and detailed information on signal characteristics. The Logs utility allows you to configure the WiFi, EAPOL and Bluetooth diagnostic protocols. The Performance utility shows line graphs of signal and noise, signal quality and data rate of the current connection. The Sniffer utility allows you to capture raw wireless packets, which can then be exported to a third-party packet sniffer.

Thus, the utilities included in the Wireless Diagnostics toolkit of the macOS family of operating systems are truly impressive, especially when compared to the native wireless toolkit for Windows operating systems. You have a WiFi scanner (which even shows noise levels) and packet capture (exportable) at your fingertips, and their Troubleshooting Assistant seems really smart. However, for the visualization of WiFi channels, in our opinion, there is not enough channel usage graph.

Additionally, Apple offers an excellent tour and guide to using Wireless Diagnostics for more information.

conclusions

Each of the diagnostic programs we have considered WiFi networks has its advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, all these solutions, judging by the feedback from users, are worthy of being downloaded and evaluated in action. The choice of the optimal program for each specific case will be different. So try it!

What should you do before using the programs?

Before using various programs, you can try to improve the signal level in the following ways:

Reboot the router. This process is carried out by turning off and then turning on the router in the network. You can reboot by logging into the router's web interface. To do this, you need to open an Internet browser, enter the address "192.168.0.1". In the window that appears, enter “admin” in front of the Username and Password fields, and confirm the actions with the OK button. After that, you need to find the appropriate section in the menu. For example, for a TP-Link router, this is the System Tools - Reboot command.
Check if nobody connects without user permission. This information is displayed on the web interface of the router In TP-Link device, this is the Wireless Statistics tab of the Wireless section. All unknown connections must be blacklisted.
To enhance the Wi-Fi signal, you can rearrange the router to a new place where it will not be blocked by walls or electronic devices. Shortening the distance from your router to your laptop or computer usually improves network performance.

If the above methods did not bring the desired result, then we recommend using utilities that will help solve the problem.

Ways to improve the signal on laptops and computers

Very often, when setting up a Wi-Fi router, a loaded channel is set by default. There are programs that determine which operating frequency the router is operating on. One of them is inSSIDer. It can be downloaded from the official resource. The utility will scan all available connections and identify loaded and free channels. Very often, residents of apartment buildings are faced with the fact that several connections use the same channel at once.

To fix the problem by improving the quality of the Wi-Fi signal, you need to determine which operating frequency is free or the least used. After that, you need to go to the web interface of the router and set a new parameter.

For a TP-Link device, go to the Wireless section and specify a new value for the Channel parameter. After that, you need to save all the changed settings and reboot the router.

You can determine the required frequency using utilities such as WirelessNetView, Acrylic WiFi Free, LinSSID. The latter is designed for the Linux operating system. You can also reflash the router if you are not satisfied with the quality of its work. At the same time, it is very important to choose the right installation files that correspond to the device model and are relevant today.

Optimization of the wireless Internet signal on Android devices

It is worth noting that on gadgets operating on the Android operating system, you can install the program Wifi Analyzer, which is designed to determine free and busy channels. The app is free and has a good rating. Like other utilities on Android, Wifi Analyzer can be downloaded from the Google Play store. The application allows you to evaluate the quality of the Wi-Fi signal and all its changes that have occurred recently. Information is displayed in the form of a graph that is easy to read on a mobile gadget. At the same time, the application makes a rating of the available connections, taking into account the quality of their work. The utility is useful for identifying places in the house where wireless Internet works best. It has a laconic and very user-friendly interface, understandable to any user. We recommend installing Wifi Analyzer on your Android device.

The next app is OpenSignal 3G 4G WiFi Cards. It is specially designed to enhance the quality of Wi-Fi on Android devices. The program demonstrates maps of various networks, thanks to which it will be much easier for the user to connect to a network with a good signal. The application allows you to test the speed of the Internet on Android. A large number of users have already installed OpenSignal 3G 4G WiFi cards in order to strengthen the wireless Internet signal and have highly appreciated its performance. The advantage is the ability to install the program on your smartphone for free.

Some programs that can be used to strengthen the signal of the wireless Internet help determine the optimal channel for fine-tuning the router, others help to analyze the coverage and select the optimal network for connection. In this case, it is necessary to analyze, as a result of which Wi-Fi does not work satisfactorily. Often the problem can be solved by restarting the router or moving it to another location.

There are dozens for Windows, but such as WiFi SiStr unique in its kind. This is an extremely simple application that will allow you as a user to know the signal strength of any Wi-Fi point. Of course, if it is within the reach of the sensor.

Interestingly, the strength of the wireless signal is displayed numerically on the screen. After you click downloadWiFi SiStrand install the program, a small panel will appear on the desktop. You can place it anywhere on the screen: bottom, top, or even in the middle. The digital and graphic values \u200b\u200bof the signal level will be visible on it.

It often happens that a user cannot access the site for unknown reasons - especially if you are connected via Wi-Fi. There is another situation: a messaging client periodically interrupts the connection - you have to constantly reconnect. To solve this problem, just look at the signal status bar and make sure that it is sufficient for a stable and fast Internet. If you have a WiFi SiStr program, it is quite easy to do this.

Features of WiFi SiStr program:

Flexible in customization. Despite the simple interface of the panel, you can even customize it. Just right-click on the status bar and a menu with settings will open.
Convenient. You will be able to monitor the signal level right on the desktop of your PC or laptop.
It does not consume a lot of system resources, it has not just a small - a miniature size.
For WiFi SiStr to work correctly, you need .NETFramework version 1.1 or higher.
At startup, it always minimizes to tray and does not interfere with computer work at all.