Free WiFi Scanner for Windows

We are looking for beta testers for version 1.1 of our Windows WiFi Scanner. If you are interested please download using link below. Send bug reports support@accessagility.com.

Windows WiFi Scanner

1) Download zip file
2) Uncompress
3) Install WiFiScanner.msi

One of the nicer capabilities of Windows compared to Mac OS WiFi Scanners is the ability to detect hidden networks.

2.4 GHz Channel Graph

5 GHz Channel Graph

RSSI vs. Time Graph

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Cisco Live 2014 WiFi Network

Below is information about Cisco Live 2014 WiFi network

SSID: CiscoLive2014
Security: PSK
Access Points: 890 total Access Points (270 High Density Access Points (AP3700))
2.4 GHz: 11n, 20 MHz Channels, 3 streams
5 GHz: 11ac, 80 MHz Channels, 3 streams
Antennas: Dual band patch antennas
Controllers: 3 8510 WLCs in a HA pair with AP and Client SSO (7.6.110.0)
Coverage: 2.5 million sq ft, 442,000 sq ft with High Density APs and Antennas.
Management: 6 MSEs, 3 CAS and 3 CMX Analytics, Prime Infrastructure 1.4 in HA.

Photos of various mounting scenarios. I took some of these photos and grabbed others from tweets.

Single 3702 Access Point with Patch Antenna

Dual 3702 Access Point with Patch Antenna

Single 3702 Access Point with Patch Antenna Plus Camera

Dual Access Points in Signage

Single Access Point with Stadium Antenna / AIR-ANT2513P4M-N

WiFi Scanner Results

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Super Light Physical Site Survey Kit

The results of a physical site survey or environment site survey is the physical characteristics of a building or location. My super fast (and cheap) way to conduct a physical site survey involves using mostly low tech gear below.

1) Small Dry-Erase Board – Pick up a pack of 10 melamine boards from Amazon in case one gets lost or damaged. Melamine boards without a plastic case are very light weight and fit easily into a laptop bag.

2) Dry-Erase Markers – Sometimes it is easier to take notes by hand. Good info to record is location, rack, room, equipment, and network details.

3) Smartphone/Camera – A picture is worth a thousand words. Use a camera/smartphone to take photos of the environment.

1) Electrician’s Tape or Painter’s Tape – Mark locations with tape and take a picture to record desired equipment or cable termination location.

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Free WiFi Internet At Reagan National and Dulles Airport

Yes, there is free WiFi Internet at Reagan National and Dulles Airport. The WiFi system at both airports was upgraded in January of 2014 and is now free for everyone.

Reagan National Airport SSID: Reagan National WiFi

Dulles Airport SSID: Dulles Airport Complimentary WiFi

Both airports have had paid WiFi service since 2007 through wireless carriers such as AT&T Wireless. In 2011 the WiFi switched over to a free service but the performance was very poor. The upgraded free WiFi is much better than the previous system and should meet requirements of travelers. Paid connectivity options are still available.

Some info about free WiFi Internet system at Reagan National Airport is below. Click on image to view full size.

SSID Details

2.4 GHz Channel Graph

5 GHz Channel Graph

WiFi Equipment Vendor: Cisco Systems
802.11 Technology: a/b/g/n
WiFi Security: Open/None
Access Control: Captive portal with click through Terms and Conditions agreement.

The captive portal is using a Microtik router/box based on popup below.

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WiFi Podcast List

I’m always in search of online resources for keeping up with WiFi technology and products. I love reading blogs but sometimes it is easier to just listen or watch instead of read. Listed below, in alphabetical order, are audio and video podcasts that are predominantly WiFi/WLAN focused. If you know of others let me know @WLANBook.

No Strings Attached Show

The No Strings Attached Show blog and podcast “is brought to you by some of the brightest and best Wireless engineers from various walks of life. We have a wireless CCIE, a CWNE, and a handful of other certifications.” Two regulars on the show are Blake Krone (@BlakeKrone) and Samuel Clements (@Samuel_Clements)

On The Fly Wi-Fi

On The Fly Wi-Fi is a monthly webcast focused on mobility by Extreme Networks, Inc. The webcast is hosted by Mike Leibovitz (@MikeLeibovitz) has guest speakers on episodes.

Wavelength Youtube Channel

Wavelength is a Youtube video channel by Ryan M. Adzima (@radzima). He has two nice videos so far and I’m looking forward to future videos.

Wireless LAN Professionals

Wireless LAN Professionals podcast is located at http://wlanpros.com and is “dedicated to those who are involved in the craft of Wireless LANs – folks who work day-in, day-out with Wireless networking. A place to come and learn from, hang out with, and be inspired by other like-minded individuals.” The site was started by Keith R. Parsons (@KeithRParsons) who is also the organizer of the WLAN Pros Summit

If you know of others let me know @WLANBook.

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WiFi Speed Test Lab Setup

Creating a lab environment for speed testing doesn’t require many devices. Listed below are the testing components needed for even the most complex testing scenarios.

Device Under Test (DUT) – What is being tested (client or access point)
Sender / Client / Source / Endpoint – Device sending data
Receiver / Server / Destination / Endpoint – Device for receiving test data
Console – Device used to control tests starts, stops, and view results. In many cases the client/receiver can also be the console.
Test Software – Software installed on clients, receiver, and console if applicable.
Networking Components – Switches for connecting devices.

Below is photo of setup above with an access point that has an integrated switch.

For more info on actual testing process and procedures see this post on low cost / free software for WiFi throughput testing or watch video below.

WLAN Pros Summit 2014 | Zaib Kaleem Best Practices for Throughput Testing.

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WiFi Speed Chart

WiFi / 802.11 has been around since 1997 and was originally only capable of 1 to 2 Mbps. Since then multiple technology improvements have been made to the specification and technology to allow for much higher data rates. Listed below are the maximum WiFi speeds of various 802.11 technologies.

802.11 (legacy) – 1 to 2 Mbps
802.11b – 11 Mbps (2.4 GHz)
802.11g – 54 Mbps (2.4 GHz)
802.11a – 54 Mbps (5 GHz)
802.11n – 600 Mbps (2.4 and 5 GHz)
802.11ac (wave 1) = 1300 Mbps (5 GHz, 80 MHz, 3 streams)
802.11ac (wave 2) = 6933 Mbps (5 GHz, 160 MHz, 8 streams)
802.11ad = 7 Gbps (60 GHz)

The speeds above are sometimes known by different names based on the operating system.

Mac OS = “Transmit Rate”

Windows 7 & 8 = “Speed”

Android “Link Speed”

Regardless of the operating system, the above WiFi speeds are all what is known as PHY speeds..or the rate of the wireless connection. The speed the user/application will experience is typically called throughput and can be measured using WiFi speed test tools.

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New York City Pay Phone WiFi 2014

Based on this FAQ, New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) regulates the 9,903 active public pay telephones on or over the City’s sidewalks. Of that number, 5,359 are in Manhattan, 1,659 in Queens, 1,691 in Brooklyn, 1,114 in the Bronx and 80 in Staten Island.

All of the pay phones are owned and operated by 11 franchisees that maintain the public phones in a shared revenue model. The City receives 36% of the net revenue from advertising on public pay telephones. The City is also provided with 2% of the total number of advertising panels for public service advertisements which promote the programs of various City agencies.

The franchise contracts expire on October 15, 2014 and the city plans to award new contracts that go through June 24, 2026 that will provide provide free Wi-Fi, free calling to 911 and 311, and provide at least $17.5 million in annual city revenue.

The previous RFI from 2012 is can be found here

The new RFP can be found here. Response is due June 30, 2014, at 5:00 PM EST :-)

Both RFI and RFP aren’t very interesting reads except for question # 9 from the RFI.

Can cellular technology be used effectively on kiosks to provide wireless communications that result in minimal disruption to the City’s streets? Are there other technologies that can be used that are not dependent on cabling under the streets to provide enhanced advertising or communications?

Several of the existing franchisees responded that they are already using cellular data to manage advertising boards and cellular data is preferred over using existing lines due to ease of maintenance and implementation.

My guess is that unless the future franchisees are telecom providers with high speed data access to public phone locations they will probably rely on cellular data for back hauling the 10,000 access points and result in a slow WiFi experience that will become unusable if more than 5-10 devices connect WiFi enabled pay phone location.

The only thing worse than no WiFi is slow WiFi Internet.

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CWNP Program

The CWNP (Certified Wireless Network Professional) program, founded in 1999, offers proctored certification exams and materials focused on 802.11 wireless networking technologies.

CWNP’s first certification exam, CWNA (Certified Wireless Network Associate), was made available in July of 2001 though Prometric Testing centers in North America.

CWNP now has six different certifications in four different levels.

• Entry level – CWTS: Certified Wireless Technology Specialist
• Administrator level – CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator
• Professional level – CWSP: Certified Wireless Security Professional
• Professional level – CWDP: Certified Wireless Design Professional
• Professional level – CWAP: Certified Wireless Analysis Professional
• Expert level – CWNE: Certified Wireless Network Expert (Twitter IDs of CWNEs)

CWNP Conference 2014

CWNP is celebrating 15 years of wireless by holding a 3-day conference in the fall of 2014. A quick overview of the conference is below.

When: September 22-24, 2014
Where: Embassy Suites Raleigh – Durham Airport/Brier Creek
Schedule: 3 Days, 12+ Speakers, 10 Sessions

I’ll be attending the conference and speaking on day two about wireless performance testing.

If you are interested in learning more about the conference or attending check out the CWNP Conference site.

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How to Setup Your Own LAN Speedtest.net Server

While researching how Speedtest.net works I learned that Speedtest.net drops 40% of the results per test to help reduce the impact of TCP slow-start and outlier results. To me this isn’t a real test but just an estimate.

To really understand if speedtest.net’s testing methodology is a good estimate it needs to be tested in the LAN environment to eliminate any WAN/ISP variations between tests.

Ookla, the makers of Speedtest.net, offers a free, easy way to setup your own speedtest.net server using what they call Ookla Speedtest Mini.

Setup instructions are below.

1. Download mini.zip
2. Unzip it onto your server
3. Decide on PHP, ASP.NET, ASP or JSP
4. Select which index file to use
5. Rename the file to index.html

I followed instructions above and was able to setup a server in a few minutes at WiFiSpeedTest.com

I plan to follow the same process on a local web server and then compare results with a HTTP file download.

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