Mapping your WiFi network is vital if you want to provide reliable coverage for your staff. Luckily I’ve found 4 great apps to get that most from your WiFi network.
Good quality heatmapping tools are actually few and far between. While you can get WiFi mapping apps from the usual app stores, it tends to be a limit affair and dependent on the wifi hardware in your mobile device, which is often not great. Heatmapping, as found in the packages below, tends to go one step further giving you the ability to upload a floor plan and map out the reception using coloured areas.
1. NetSpot App
NetSpot is aimed squarely at the Mac user. It’s very presentable with the usual polish and features that you might expect from any OSX app. It’s also very cost effective. It doesn’t have the full range of features that you would expect from a more expensive tool but for mapping existing WiFi networks, or for SME or home use, it’s ideal. NetSpot App is also the only option here that will run on your Mac, with a basic Windows version just available.
2. SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
SolarWinds are one of the market leaders in network monitoring and management so it’s to be expected that they also have a WiFi mapping tool. It offers a good range of features, though perhaps not the biggest, and comes with the quality that you expect from SolarWind products. It is part of a larger network monitoring package so the cost is higher than some of the other options here but if you are serious about monitoring your network then you probably already have an eye on Network Performance Monitor.
3. Ekahau HeatMapper
One of the leaders in the field, Ekahau HeatMapper is a stripped-down coverage mapper based on the Ekahau Site Survey Pro product. HeatMapper is free to use and is ideal for home and small businesses to map out their existing networks.
4. Acrylic WiFi Heatmaps
Acrylic stand out because of their charging structure which makes it an ideal solution for IT companies and MSPs as you can pay per-month as well as buying the software outright. This makes it ideal for onboarding those troublesome clients. Acrylic WiFi Heatmaps gives you a great range of presentable reports and the tool itself is easy enough to use that you can task it to a junior staff member.
