MetaGeek's Wi-Spy 2.4x / DBx hardware, widely recognized as the smallest spectrum analyzers on the market (the size of your average thumb drive), can plug into any USB port and harness the processing power of your computer to monitor and collect data about your 2.4 GHz wireless network. Chanalyzer then turns that data into highly interactive charts and graphs, allowing users to actually "visualize" their wireless landscape. Utilizing the Chanalyzer toolset, users can then quickly identify and locate the devices that may be disrupting their wireless computer network signal by causing interference on the same 2.4 GHz band.

Together, Wi-Spy 2.4x / DBx and Chanalyzer offer the unique ability to identify signatures of specific electronic devices that may be interfering with any 2.4 GHz wireless network signal, enabling improved installation of wireless devices and faster troubleshooting.

When used with a Wi-Spy 900x, it will display the 900MHz spectrum instead of 2.4GHz.

When used with a Wi-Spy DBx, you can choose to display 5 GHz spectrum information as well. Please note the software will either display 5 GHz or 2.4GHz at the one time. You can change it dynamically, but one one will be displayed at any point in time.

Chanalyzer v3.x Features

• Wi-Fi Integration: Information such as SSID, Channel and dBm are overlayed on the 2.4 GHz data. (This does not use the Wi-Spy 2.4x. It uses the computer WiFi card)

  

• SSID overlay:
• Configuration Options: Zoom into a channel with greater resolution, for detailed troubleshooting.

  

• Signature Identification: A "Signatures" sidebar makes it easy to match the shape appearing in your graph to the device signature (from MetaGeek’s growing Signatures Library) – so you can identify the interference.

  

• Data Inspector: Shows frequency, amplitude, time, and other data of any point in any view.

  

• Embedded Notes: Textual information can now be added to any recording by embedding user notes.

  

• Time Controls: Now the user can select any arbitrary time length to be in view - from 10 seconds to hours if you want. This offers greater clarity over the recorded data – hence making it easier to pick out interfering devices.
• Recordings Cropping: Now users can crop recordings visually, making it easier to isolate specific data or timeframes to analyze.
• Recordings Playback: Users have greater control over the speed of playback, fast forwarding or rewinding recordings up to 50x speed, as well as the ability to drag playback to any arbitrary point on a recording.
• Resize Views: Users have more control over screen real estate with the ability to resize the Chanalyzer charts and graphs - customized to their preference or needs. The sidebar tools can also be minimized to view data on a full screen.

Chanalyzer offers three different views to show the interference patterns occuring in the 2.4GHz/5GHz spectrum

• Spectral View: Highlights bandwidth use over time with a scrolling "waterfall graph" that plots the selected time period against the frequency range, with each point color-coded by the signal's amplitude.

  

• Topographic View: A spectrum utilisation map that shows the popularity of the spectrum by plotting the percentage of activity for each frequency and amplitude over a selected time period.

• Planar View: Shows current, average and maximum amplitudes – providing a real-time look at the current signal strength, which can also help to identify which channels are more heavily used and which channels are more open for uninterrupted use.

  

Compatibility

• Wi-Spy 900x, 2.4x or DBx hardware
• Windows 2000, XP or Vista with .Net 2.0
• USB 1.1 or 2.0
• 1024 x 768 Screen Resolution or Greater

This version is FREE to Download. You can use it to playback recorded sessions, and you get access to whatever was recorded during that session. Please note that this software did not record Wi-Fi SSID or channel strength information in the file. Therefore recorded files only have access to spectrum analysis charts. When you plug in compatible Wi-Spy hardware, you will be able to perform live analysis.