wifi testing

[b.withrow]

Our company has a centralized IS department. We go out to the remote sites, do a site survey and install a wirless network. But over time the layout of the building may change and that in turn will cause a change in RF reception. I am looking for a small, simple device that I can give to a user at the remote site, so they could verify signal quality. One thought was a cheap PDA with a 350 card and ACU. Another thought was a product called 'Airmagnet'. Does anyone have experience with this type of device?

[amitubale]

The cost effective solution would be to use the cisco ACU application on the user laptop. or Netstubmler

Next is a wireless card with a PDA.

The Dell PDA with a symbol wireless card would be cost effective.

Airmagnet, we bought it a year ago for @ $3000 and that just the wireless card and software. It does not come with a PDA. It is a tool for professional and has very good features. I think its one of the top wireless analysis tools available.

[sneal]

Airmagnet is a fantastic program, however it is expensive and not for the typical end user. As suggested by the other post, the Cisco wireless client shows the signal strength and quality in a simple format. If you have multiple APs, then Netstumbler may be a better solution for you. It will measure the strength of all of the access points at once, since it is a wireless packet analyzer.