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Home > Reviews > The Best Access Point Monitoring Tools: A Deep Dive to Maximize Your Wi-Fi Performance
September 13, 2024
In today’s increasingly mobile-centric world, the significance of Access Points (APs) as the backbone of wireless networking cannot be overstated. They serve as critical junctures that facilitate our day-to-day digital interactions in corporate offices, public spaces, or within the comfort of our homes.
However, as much as access points enhance connectivity and convenience, they also present potential vulnerabilities. These devices can act as gateways for malicious attacks against an organization’s infrastructure, making their monitoring not just beneficial, but essential for maintaining a secure and efficient network.
For that, a deeper exploration into the realm of access point monitoring tools is welcome. These tools are not just a means of oversight; they are a critical component in a comprehensive network security strategy.
In this article, we will uncover the intricacies of AP monitoring tools. Learn how they work, and how to navigate the vast array of options to select the best tool tailored to your specific needs. Discover strategies for implementing effective monitoring and get to know the 10 best access point monitoring tools, as selected by our team of experts.
Whether you are a network administrator, IT professional, or simply someone who wishes to understand the dynamics of maintaining a secure and efficient WLAN, this article will provide valuable insights and practical advice to enhance your network management capabilities.
A Wireless Access Point (WAP) is a networking hardware device that allows wireless-capable devices to connect to a wired network. It acts as a bridge between the devices and the network, enabling them to communicate with each other and access the internet or other network services without the need for physical cables, providing flexibility and mobility for users to access network resources from different locations within the coverage area.
Access point monitoring tools are software solutions or platforms that serve a critical role in the management and oversight of wireless access points within a network environment.
At the heart of these monitoring tools is the capability to track the performance of each access point. This includes assessing data throughput, signal strength, and connection speed. Beyond performance monitoring, these tools are adept at managing network device connectivity: they provide detailed insights into the number and types of devices connected to each access point, alongside their network usage.
Security stands as a crucial feature of access point monitoring tools. They proactively scan the network for unauthorized access attempts, weak or outdated security protocols, and other vulnerabilities.
The utility of these also tools extends into the realm of configuration and management, offering administrators the convenience of remotely adjusting settings on access points. This encompasses a range of functions from modifying SSID settings and security protocols to updating firmware, thereby streamlining the management of the network’s infrastructure.
Moreover, access point monitoring tools offer a comprehensive view of the network’s overall health. This includes real-time status updates on access points, identification of connectivity issues, and pinpointing areas with inadequate signal coverage.
Another significant advantage of these tools is their reporting and analytics capabilities. They provide administrators with detailed reports and analytics on network usage patterns, identifying peak usage times and providing historical data on network performance.
Lastly, the ability to set up customized alerts and notifications ensures that administrators are promptly informed about critical events affecting the network. Whether it’s an access point going offline, a sudden spike in network usage, or detection of potential security threats, these alerts enable quick action to address issues as they arise.
There are many reasons to invest in access point monitoring. Here are five of them, in no particular order.
For example, Requirement 11.2 of PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) 4.0.1 states: “Wireless access points are identified and monitored, and unauthorized wireless access points are addressed.” Monitoring will allow you to prove compliance with this and other standards and secure approvals that may be crucial to keep your business running.
When selecting access point monitoring tools, prioritizing key factors ensures you choose a solution that best fits your network’s requirements. Here are the five most critical considerations, arranged by their importance:
Access point monitoring involves a series of steps and practices. Start by choosing a monitoring tool that aligns with your network’s size, complexity, and specific needs, as outlined in our recommendations above. Ensure it is scalable to grow with your network and fits within your budget.
With the tool selected, you can follow this structured approach to effectively monitor your access points. Broadly speaking, it can be divided into three phases.
Once you’ve selected a tool, deploy it across your network. This process involves installing the software on a central server or cloud platform and configuring it to communicate with all access points in your network. Ensure that the tool is set up to collect data on performance metrics, security logs, and other relevant information.
With the tool installed, establish baseline metrics for your network’s performance under normal operating conditions. This includes signal strength, throughput, connectivity rates, and the number of devices connected. Baseline metrics will help you identify anomalies or performance issues as they arise.
The next step is to set up alerts and notifications within your monitoring tool for critical events or metrics that deviate from the norm. This could include alerts for unauthorized access attempts, significant drops in signal strength, or devices failing to connect.
Make it a practice to regularly review reports generated by your monitoring tool. Look for trends in network usage, performance bottlenecks, and potential security vulnerabilities.
You should also conduct regular security audits to identify potential vulnerabilities within your network. This includes checking for outdated firmware on access points, weak encryption methods, and unauthorized devices connected to the network.
Based on the data collected and insights gained from your monitoring efforts, take steps to optimize your network’s configuration. This could involve adjusting the placement of access points for better coverage, changing channel settings to reduce interference, or updating security protocols to enhance network security.
As your network grows, your monitoring needs will evolve. Regularly assess the capacity of your current setup and plan for future expansions. This may involve adding more access points, upgrading existing ones, or transitioning to a more robust monitoring solution to accommodate increased traffic and devices.
Paessler PRTG is a powerful and versatile tool based on monitoring elements called “sensors”. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, like the traffic of a switch port, or the CPU load of a server. There are more than 250 built-in sensors for various tasks, device types, and use cases, and it is also possible to write and deploy custom sensors.
PRTG includes SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) sensors to monitor availability, traffic and uptime in any compatible device, including enterprise access points like those manufactured by Cisco and many other vendors. An “SNMP Custom” sensor allows you to grab specific parameters, like signal strength and device access.
There are also many “flow” (Netflow, jFlow, sFlow, etc.) sensors that allow for in-depth traffic analysis. All these sensors can be combined as needed, with information displayed on customizable dashboards showing all the data you need, or fed into customizable reports.
PRTG has a simple pricing structure: all plans have exactly the same feature set, the only difference is how many “aspects” of your devices you wish to monitor. According to Paessler, users usually monitor 10 aspects per device, so the base PRTG 500 plan should be enough to monitor 50 devices. A 30-day free trial is available.
NetSpot is a powerful tool for wireless network planning, analyzing, and troubleshooting on macOS, Windows, and Android. Among many other features, it can help with network security, aiding in locating and eliminating rogue access points, unauthorized devices and avoiding cross-channel interference.
But what really shines here are the features that help you to design new wireless networks or optimize existing ones. When designing a new network, you can start from a floor plan of your space and specify wall materials, the position of doors and windows, the type and model of your Wi-Fi routers and their position. The tool will then provide you with a heatmap, allowing you to visualize your coverage before you even order your equipment.
You can conduct site surveys of existing networks to determine optimal Wi-Fi coverage, identify dead zones, check signal-to-noise ratios and choose the best spots for access points. NetSpot can also work as a channel scanner and network analyzer.
NetSpot is available for multiple operating systems (Windows, macOS, iOS and Android) in three editions: Home, Pro and Enterprise. Some features, like the network planning module, are only available on the Pro and Enterprise versions. A free, but feature-limited, version is also available.
TamoGraph Site Survey is a comprehensive, user-friendly Wi-Fi planning and survey software designed to improve network performance and coverage by providing robust tools for wireless network modeling, deployment, and maintenance.
It is a professional RF planning and site survey tool, which helps to visualize and analyze existing Wi-Fi networks and plan new ones, supporting wireless standards from the original 802.11 a/b to the latest 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7).
It features simple and fast data collection with easy-to-understand heat maps, supports passive, active, and predictive surveys for RF modeling, and provides automatic access point location with detailed information on APs, such as channels, data rates, vendors, encryption types, etc.
TamoGraph Site Survey is available in two editions, Standard (which doesn’t include RF modeling, GPS support, and report customization) and Pro. There is also the option for a software and hardware bundle which includes a Pro license, a compatible USB Wi-Fi adapter and a Wi-Fi Spectrum Analyzer.
The Acrylic Wi-Fi Analyzer is part of the Acrylic suite of Wi-Fi monitoring and analysis tools, which also includes Acrylic Wi-Fi Heatmaps for network planning and site surveys (like the previously mentioned NetSpot) and the Acrylic Wi-Fi Sniffer for packet capture and analysis, similar to tools such as Wireshark.
This tool can analyze critical AP metrics such as channel and signal quality, network security, transmission speed, signal-to-noise and retry rates, offering you detailed tips and recommendations to boost your network performance.
It can reveal detailed information about connected devices. And it is compatible with all Wi-Fi standards, up to the latest (802.11be, also known as Wi-Fi 7), including 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz frequencies.
Acrylic Wi-Fi Analyzer is available in two editions, Free and Pro, with the free edition limited to 5 devices in your network inventory and lacking features such as network quality measurements, troubleshooting advice or packet captures.
Homedale is a simple tool that can show information and signal strength from all wireless networks in range. It works with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax wireless networks (up to Wi-Fi 6) in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz frequency bands using 20, 40, 80 and 160 MHz width channels.
It can graph the signal strength of selected access points over time, and visually display the frequency usage of all Wi-Fi channels. Data logging is easy, just right click over an AP in a list to write data to a text file and create a screenshot.
You can also get an overview of all available access points, alongside their signal strength, which security protocols are in use (WEP, WPA, WPA2 or WPA3), network name (SSID), BSSID, vendor name, channel, supported data rates and much more.
Homedale is available in 15 languages and completely free to use, although donations to the developer are encouraged. There are versions for Windows (2000 or later, up to Windows 11) and macOS (14.x or later).
The LizardSystems Wi-Fi Scanner is a convenient tool for monitoring 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax wireless networks, offering various features for analyzing and optimizing network performance, providing users with information such as network name, signal strength, MAC address, channel, data rate, security, etc.
It supports multiple wireless standards, up to 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), two frequency bands (2,4 and 5 GHz), and many channel widths (20, 40, 80, 160 and 80+80 MHz), and can display detailed network information, the signal spectrum mask for each wireless network, perform security detection, and more. Changes in signal level over time can be graphed.
Detected wireless networks can be filtered by specified parameters (quality, network mode, security, etc.). Wireless connection statistics can be shown in the form of graphs and tables, and graph colors for any network can be customized.
Wi-Fi Scanner requires a Windows system (starting at Windows 8 or Server 2012). Personal licenses are free, and a perpetual business license is very cheap at US$ 99,95. A 10-day free trial is available.
The SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) includes a Wi-Fi analysis module that provides features for wireless network monitoring and troubleshooting issues, and can also generate wireless heat maps to optimize your coverage.
With it, you can get a list of all wireless access points in range, including device type, channels used, IP address, AP name and SSID. It also displays which clients are connected to each AP, with client details such as Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), MAC Address, bytes received and transmitted, time connected, and their data rate.
The alerting system very flexible, with triggers based on multiple conditions, intelligent alerting to reduce noise, alert screening for specific hours, days of the week or even specific users. Customizable notifications ensure that you get exactly the information you need to act.
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is available with subscription or perpetual licenses. Pricing will vary with the features and additional modules you need, and exact pricing is only available by quote. A 30-day free trial is available.
Nirsoft WifiInfoView is a utility that scans wireless networks in your area, providing detailed information about access points, such as SSID, MAC Address, PHY Type (802.11g or 802.11n), RSSI, Signal Quality, Frequency, Channel Number, and more. All the information is displayed on a simple table view with sortable columns.
It also has a summary mode, which displays a summary of all detected wireless networks, grouped by channel number, router manufacturer, PHY type, or the maximum link speed. It is possible to export access point information to a packet capture (.pcap) file, which can then be analyzed with software such as Wireshark.
It is worth mentioning that this tool lacks support for more recent wireless standards beyond Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), something which may limit its usefulness. On the other hand, it features an extensive number of command-line parameters, which will come in handy when integrating it into scripts or automation workflows.
Nirsoft WiFiInfoView is completely free to use (but not Open Source), and has been translated in more than 20 languages. It is available only for Windows (32 or 64 bit editions) systems.
WhatsUp Gold provides comprehensive tools for monitoring and managing wireless network and access point performance in real-time, identifying and addressing potential issues, and optimizing network configurations.
Features include discovery, mapping, and management of wireless devices, investigation of unusual client bandwidth consumption, real-time alerts for exceeded CPU and bandwidth thresholds, and notifications of rogue wireless access points.
Real-time maps and control over wireless connections are provided, with historical reports and dashboards to help troubleshoot and optimize wireless network configurations. The Alert Center integrates all network monitoring alerts, allowing the setup of thresholds and notification policies.
WhatsUp Gold is available in three editions: Free, which lets you monitor up to 10 devices and has a limited feature set, Premium (with Perpetual or Subscription Licensing) and Total Plus (with Perpetual Licensing only). Keep in mind that some useful features of the Total Plus edition, such as Network Traffic Analysis, are add-ons charged separately on the Premium one. A free trial is available.
MetaGeek inSSIDer is another tool that helps users visualize and analyze their Wi-Fi network and identify issues impacting Wi-Fi performance.
It provides essential details about your Wi-Fi access points such as channel, signal strength, security, and impact of neighboring networks. Access point details are shown on a single, easy-to-read list.
The device list can even show names, models and categories of connected devices, so, instead of worrying about that “unknown device” that popped up, you can rest assured that it is just the new printer on the CEOs office. Another useful feature called Channel Table offers a visual indication of how busy each Wi-Fi channel is, helping you to choose a less-congested one.
InSSIDer is available for Windows and macOS. Prices are only available by quote.
As you can see, there are access point monitoring tools for networks of all sizes and budgets. Our choice of the best one, Paessler PRTG, ties back into our list of desired features we discussed at the start of the article.
PRTG offers comprehensive monitoring, since the more than 250 built-in sensors allow you to monitor not only your access points, but also your entire network, services, servers, security, IoT devices, cloud infrastructure, and much more.
That means you can do away with having to rely on a variety of individualized solutions, which can carry potential risks such as conflict with your current workflow and even network security issues.
Scalability is covered by its extensible architecture: sensors can be combined as needed, and you can deploy third-party sensors, or even develop your own, to cover specific needs. All this information in easy-to-understand graphs within customizable dashboards, that allow for a “single pane of glass” view of your entire infrastructure.
And as for cost, the simple pricing structure of PRTG has it covered. Competitors have a complex pricing scheme, where features are spread over many modules, each one with its own pricing scheme and quotas.
By the time you add it all up, the sticker shock is inevitable. It is “death by a thousand paper cuts”. Not with PRTG: all subscription plans have the same feature set, and you just need to select how many devices you wish to monitor. Couldn’t be easier.
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