Wi app. Programs for distributing Wi-Fi from a laptop

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Sometimes you may need to search for wifi networks. Windows 7, like all other versions, has such a tool at its disposal, but there is a better option.

This free program to search for wifi networks — Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector, which you can download for free right here using the direct link at the end of the post.

Xirrus Inspector is a real radar for monitoring networks - of course for a laptop (computers usually do not have such adapters, but you can install them yourself using the USB interface).

It can be an interesting alternative to Vistumbler and Netstumbler. Using the "Radar" function, the program scans all wireless signals that your adapter can intercept.

Xirrus Inspector allows you to check the speed and quality of the Wireless connection (buttons “Speed Test" and “Quality Test”).

What might this be needed for? In this way, you can determine exactly where to place the router or router in order to get a connection between it and your laptop and then receive a stable, high-quality signal.

Another interesting feature of this program is the presence of two buttons that allow fast connection to one of the detected networks.

Flaws?!? Yes, for some people it is one... The program is only available on English. If this is not a problem for you, then Xirrus Inspector is ideal for you.

How to search for networks with Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector

As mentioned above, this program is not available in Russian. Therefore, you will have to use English to discover networks.

In fact, there are zero difficulties. All you need to do is click on the word “Radar” after launch.

Immediately after this, the process will begin to detect wireless signals. To view the found networks, you don’t need to do anything at all - everything is like on the radar. Searching for wifi networks is easy on the eyes.

It’s a pity, of course, that this analyzer program is not a Russian version, but you can remember a few words in English - they will come in handy in the future.

NOTE: You need to know that the application runs on Windows XP, Vista windows 7 and is compatible with all Wi-Fi adapters, but if you want to use it on Windows 10, you will have to run it in compatibility mode with Windows 7. Good luck.

Developer:
http://www.lopesoft.com/index.php/en/

OS:
XP, Windows 7, 8, 10

Interface:
English

Perhaps more than one modern person cannot imagine his life without gadgets, which not only entertain us with music, games and funny videos, but also greatly help us in our work and everyday situations.

However, all the capabilities of our smartphones and laptops fade in the absence of a high-quality Internet connection. Many of us may have experienced problems connecting to a Wi-Fi network because the standard software on our devices cannot always cope with the task.

Especially for such problematic situations, there are a number of programs for working with Wi-Fi connection. Such programs will allow you to fine tuning network that will provide uninterrupted access to the Internet, keep connection statistics, create their own access point (virtual wi-fi router) and will provide the opportunity for its full administration.

For example, you have a need to deploy a Wi-Fi network at home and distribute the Internet via a laptop (after creating an access point - your own virtual router). Using programs for working with wireless networks, it will also be easy for you to ensure that all your gadgets work in one grid, and you can see all connections on a simulated connection map. Using a fairly simple program interface, you can configure connections for each device individually. For example, allow it the maximum speed for connecting to the Internet or limit the amount of traffic. An excellent opportunity will be presented to parents who want to prevent their children from visiting harmful resources from their phones or tablets. In addition, you can always view the history of Internet visits of devices that will be part of your network.

Such software is actively used not only for creating home virtual wireless networks based on wi-fi, but also by system administrators who serve offices with a large staff. The possibility of an individual approach to the settings of each computer and complete control of incoming/outgoing traffic allows system administrators to carry out easy and reliable monitoring of their networks. Thus, specialists protect themselves from channel overload and ensure safe use Internet connections for employees.

A laptop is a powerful, functional device that allows users to cope with a wide variety of tasks. For example, laptops have a built-in WiFi adapter, which can work not only for signal reception, but also for output. In this regard, your laptop may well distribute the Internet to other devices.

Distributing Wi-Fi from a laptop is a useful function that can be very helpful in a situation where it is necessary to provide Internet access not only to the computer, but also to other devices (tablets, smartphones, laptops, etc.). This situation often occurs if the computer has wired Internet or a USB modem.

Popular free program for Wi-Fi distribution from a laptop. The program is equipped with a simple interface that will be easy to understand even for users without knowledge of English.

The program copes with its task perfectly and allows you to automatically launch the access point every time Windows starts.

Connectify

Simple and functional program for distributing Wi-Fi with an excellent interface.

The program is shareware, because Basic use is free, but you will have to pay extra for features such as expanding the wireless network coverage area and equipping gadgets that do not have a Wi-Fi adapter with the Internet.

mHotspot

A simple tool for distributing a wireless network to other devices, which is distinguished by the ability to limit the number of gadgets connected to your access point, and also allows you to track information about incoming and outgoing traffic, reception and upload speeds and total time of wireless network activity.

Switch Virtual Router

Small software that has a small, convenient working window.

The program has a minimum of settings; you only have access to setting a login and password, placing it in startup and displaying connected devices. But this is its main advantage - the program is not overloaded with unnecessary elements, which makes it extremely convenient for everyday use.

Virtual Router Manager

A small program for distributing Wi-Fi, which, as in the case of Switch Virtual Router, has the bare minimum of settings.

To get started, you just need to set a login and password for the wireless network, select the type of Internet connection, and the program is ready to work. As soon as devices are connected to the program, they will be displayed in the lower area of the program.

MaryFi

MaryFi is a small utility with a simple interface with support for the Russian language, which is distributed absolutely free.

The utility allows you to quickly create a virtual access point without wasting your time on unnecessary settings.

Virtual Router Plus

Virtual Router Plus is a utility that does not require installation on your computer.

To work with the program, you just need to run the EXE file attached to the archive and specify an arbitrary login and password for further detection of your network by devices. As soon as you click the "OK" button, the program will begin its work.

Magic WiFi

Another tool that does not require installation on your computer. You just need to move the program file to any convenient location on your computer and run it immediately.

Among the program settings, it is only possible to set a login and password, indicate the type of Internet connection, and also display a list of connected devices. The program has no other functions. But the utility, unlike many programs, is equipped with an excellent, fresh interface that is perfectly conducive to work.

Each of the presented programs copes well with its main task - creating a virtual access point. All you have to do is decide which program to give preference to.

To work with large wireless networks, there are a sufficient number of good multifunctional software solutions on the market that allow for comprehensive testing of WiFi networks. However, you will often find it easier to use simpler, free tools to get a quick look at the airwaves during design, deployment, or troubleshooting. We present to your attention an overview of the most interesting free programs for diagnosing WiFi networks.

In this article, we will present you with nine free software tools - most of them work on the basis of operating systems. Windows systems, others - for macOS or Android - which will provide you with basic information about the existing WiFi signals in the coverage area: SSIDs, signal strength, channels used, MAC addresses and types of protection of a particular network. Some can detect hidden SSIDs, detect noise levels, or provide statistics about the successful and unsuccessful packets sent and received on your wireless connection. One of the solutions includes a WiFi password cracking toolkit, which will be extremely useful for finding vulnerabilities and security assessments when testing the hacking resistance of your wireless network.

Note also that most of the tools described below are free versions of commercial solutions distributed by the same vendor, but with reduced functionality.

The Acrylic WiFi Home wireless LAN scanner is a stripped-down version of the commercial solution from Tarlogic Security. Version 3.1, reviewed in this review article, attracts attention, primarily due to the detail of the wireless environment and advanced graphical capabilities for displaying collected information. The functionality of this solution includes: overview of found WiFi networks supporting 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards; detecting unauthorized access points and displaying connected clients; scanning and analysis of used wireless networks WiFi channels at frequencies of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz; plotting graphs of the received signal level and its power for WiFi access points.

WiFi scanner for Windows Acrylic WiFi Home will allow you to scan and view available wireless networks in real time, provide information about detected WiFi networks (SSID and BSSID), their type of protection and wireless devices connected to the network in at the moment, and will also allow you to get a list WiFi passwords(installed by default by manufacturers) thanks to the built-in plugin system.

As a free product, Acrylic WiFi Home 3.1 has a simple yet attractive GUI. A detailed list of SSIDs is located at the top of the application. Here, in particular, you can find: negative dBm values for the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), supported 802.11 standard (including 802.11ac) by access points or WiFi routers, manufacturer name, model and MAC addresses network devices. The solution recognizes the bandwidth being used and displays all channels involved. It doesn't look for hidden SSIDs, but may show them if it detects network data indicating the presence of hidden networks. The application also has functionality for inventorying the operation of WiFi networks, allowing you to assign and save the names of detected SSIDs and / or clients (for the free version, this feature has quantitative restrictions on use).

At the bottom of the application screen, by default, visual rating information is displayed on the network characteristics of the selected SSID. There is also a graph of the signal level and power of all detected access points. When you switch to the advanced mode for displaying the status of wireless networks, you will receive two additional graphs - for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands - which simultaneously display information about the channels in use, including those combined into one “wide” channel, and signal level data.

Exporting or saving captured data is extremely inconvenient, since the development company software decided to cut down this functionality excessively in the free solution: you can copy at most one line of data to the clipboard and then paste the text into text document or spreadsheet. There is also a function for publishing a screenshot on Twitter.

Overall, Acrylic WiFi Home is a good software WLAN scanner, especially considering that it doesn't cost anything. It collects all the basic information about your wireless space and clearly demonstrates the obtained data, both in text and graphical form, which is perfect for simple WiFi network diagnostic tasks. The main disadvantage of this solution can be considered big problems with data export, or rather, the virtual absence of such an opportunity due to the functionality in the free solution that was limited by the manufacturer itself.

AirScout Live (Android)

Greenlee's AirScout Live app turns your Android smartphone into a convenient and portable WiFi network analyzer. AirScout Live has seven operating modes, four of which are completely free to use without any restrictions on Android devices. The commercial version, unlike the free version, is compatible with most desktop computers(Windows) and mobile devices(Android and iOS). With the help of basic functionality, you can quickly, mobilely and, most importantly, solve problems related to insufficient WiFi signal levels in some places in your office or home for free.

AirScout live will show all the characteristics of access points detected within range: from signal strength and security protocols to equipment capabilities. It will allow you to determine the least loaded channel, measure the signal strength at each point of the WiFi network and identify places with insufficient signal strength. Helps identify sources of interference by analyzing channel usage parameters in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Using the program, you can select the optimal location for access points to ensure the highest quality WiFi network coverage of your premises and configure it for maximum performance without purchasing additional equipment. Additionally, the AirScout app allows you to take pictures of your WiFi network and save them locally or upload them to the cloud.

AirScout Live is very easy to use and requires no additional training. The user interface looks attractive and intuitive. The first two menu items - “AP Graph” and “AP Table” - will provide you with visual and comprehensive information about all the characteristics of access points located in the visibility zone. Access point coverage graphs will visually demonstrate to you the dependence of the signal level of each of them and the congestion of channels in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Extended information in tabular form about each access point (SSID, Mac address, equipment vendor, channel used, channel width, received signal level in dBm and security settings) is available in the second menu item.

The “Time graph” item will allow you to see all the access points that your Android device has detected in the observed location, and their graph of changes in signal level in dBm with a time reference. So, for example, if you are examining a network that consists of several access points, this information will help you understand what signal strength each of them will have at a given location, and how the client device will switch between them. In addition, selecting a specific access point highlights its signal strength, which helps visual perception of information.

The “Signal Strength” item will allow you to visually test the signal level for each access point over time. You can select a specific SSID and see the current, as well as the minimum and maximum signal level recorded by the device for this access point. The original interpretation of the results obtained in the form of a red-yellow-green speedometer will make it possible to clearly see whether a particular function will work in this particular place or not. For example, a stable signal level in the green zone will tell you that here you will not have problems with resource-intensive technologies such as voice over IP or streaming video in Full HD format. Being in the yellow zone will indicate that only web surfing is available. Well, the red zone will mean big problems with receiving a signal from this access point in a given location.

To use additional functions, which are not available in the free version of the software without additional equipment (identification of the most common problems: suboptimal signal coverage or incorrect channel selection; identification of sources of interference, including from “non-WiFi” devices; optimization of configurations of WiFi networks adjacent to networks 802.15.4 standard; tuning WiFi performance by comparing signal strength and usage parameters; Ookla speed test and much more) you will need an AirScout controller or a kit that includes a controller and remote clients.

AirScout Live is an excellent application that, above all, attracts with its portability. Agree, having a tool that will always be at hand is worth a lot. In the free version of the product, you have access to all the necessary information that you may need to quick analysis status of small office or home WiFi networks and identifying underlying performance issues. Intuitively clear interface and competent graphic design of the obtained measurement results not only leave a good impression, but also help speed up the work with the application.

Cain & Abel is a multi-purpose password recovery and cracking application for Windows operating systems, which also includes interception and analysis tools network traffic, including WiFi networks. Like its predecessor (Acrylic WiFi Home), Cain & Abel is a powerful network analyzer capable of capturing and processing most wireless network traffic.

Its graphical interface has a relatively ancient, simplified look. The toolbar (old style with icons at the top of the screen) is used to launch various utilities. Access to the main functional parts of the application is provided through window tabs.

Through the “Wireless” tab we get access to functional tools for analyzing the network traffic of WiFi networks. In addition to the usual information about SSIDs and various signal information, a list and detailed information about connected clients can also be found here. For access points and clients, Cain & Abel provides information about the number of packets detected: all packets, WEP Initialization Vector (WEP IV) and ARP requests. Any hidden SSIDs discovered from the captured packets will be displayed in the GUI. Most of the intercepted statuses and data can be exported to a simple text file.

Despite the enormous functional potential of this solution, such shortcomings as the lack of visual graphs, as well as the inability to recognize 802.11ac access points and determine wider channels, do not allow us to call Cain & Abel best choice for monitoring and analyzing WiFi networks. This solution is worth paying attention to if your tasks go far beyond simple traffic analysis. With it, you can recover Windows passwords, perform attacks to obtain lost credentials, examine VoIP data on the network, analyze packet routing, and much more. This is a really powerful tool for system administrator with broad powers.

Ekahau HeatMapper is a mapping software tool for deploying small home-level wireless networks and determining the optimal location for access point installation. This is simplified free version professional solutions from Ekahau. Given software product Provides the same network information as a WiFi wireless network scanner, but also generates a WiFi heat map so you can visualize signal levels at a glance. For the purposes of this review, we will focus on version 1.1.4.

The software offers the ability to create a plan or layout of the site being studied, as well as design a wireless network topology using a grid for rough orientation.

On the left side of the main screen user interface displays a list of wireless networks and their data, sorted by signal, channel, SSID, MAC address and security type. This list includes basic information, but does not contain signal strength in dBm or percentage. In addition, the application does not recognize networks that support the 802.11ac standard, identifying them as 802.11n.

Using Ekahau HeatMapper, as with other mapping tools, you plot your current location on a map while you walk around a building to generate a heat map of WiFi coverage. Ekahau HeatMapper will automatically calculate the location of access points and place them on the map. Once all the data has been collected, an interactive heat map of WiFi coverage will be generated. So, for example, when you hover the cursor over the access point icon, its coverage will be separately highlighted; and when you hover your cursor over a heatmap area, a tooltip window will appear for the received signal strength indicator with a negative dBm value for that point.

According to reviews software solution Ekahau HeatMapper is an overly simplified WiFi mapping scanner: the manufacturers removed almost all additional functionality from the free version, making this decision truly home version. Moreover, the only available opportunity To export or save, simply take a screenshot of the map.

However, the Ekahau HeatMapper solution can be used for small networks or to get a basic understanding of how more professional map-based tools work.

Homedale Software Utility is a relatively simple and portable (no installation required) wireless network scanner for Windows (currently version 1.75 available) and macOS (currently available version 1.03) operating systems with an optional interface command line. In addition to displaying basic information about wireless networks and signals, this utility also supports location determination using GPS and other positioning technologies.

This utility has a simple graphical interface that resembles more of a dialog box with several tabs than a full-fledged application. The first tab "Adapters" displays a list of all network adapters, as well as their IP gateways and MAC addresses.

The Access Points tab contains many important information. It doesn't show the 802.11 standard for each SSID, but you will find all supported data rates, as well as all channel numbers used by each SSID at a given time, including those with larger channel widths. It also doesn't list hidden networks, but does show other network data that indicates the presence of hidden SSIDs. Also very useful function is the ability to save notes for individual SSIDs, which can then be included in any data export.

In the Access Point Signal Graph tab, you will find the change in negative dBm values for the received signal strength metric over time for all selected SSIDs. The implementation of access to this functionality cannot be called very convenient and intuitive - the selection of wireless networks for monitoring and comparison is made by double-clicking on the desired SSID from the list of the previous “Access Points” tab.

The “Frequency of Use” tab illustrates in real time a graphical dependence of the frequencies used by each SSID (for convenience, divided into channels) and signal level values. Channel utilization visualizations are displayed for the 2.4 GHz band and each subset of the 5 GHz band. The utility performs its task - visually demonstrates the occupancy of each channel - but it would be more convenient if we had the opportunity to have a single view of the 5 GHz frequency, instead of dividing it into four separate graphs.

In addition, Homedale offers excellent opportunities for both free application, to export the collected data. Thus, it supports saving the network list in a table form in CSV format, logging the results of each scan (useful if you move while scanning), as well as saving an image of each graph.

Despite its very simple graphical user interface, Homedale provides more advanced functionality than you might expect. In addition, I would like to note that, for a free program, the capabilities of recording and exporting data, as well as determining location, are quite impressive.

LizardSystems offers a free version of their WiFi Scanner software for non-commercial use that has the same features and functionality as their paid product. Currently version 3.4 of the solution is available. In addition to the WiFi scanner, this solution also offers excellent analytics and reporting functionality.

The application has a modern graphical interface, intuitive and easy to use. The Scanner tab provides a list of detected SSIDs. In addition to the standard detailed information, you will also find signal strength values in both negative dBm and percentage values. It even shows the number of clients that are connected to each SSID. Also, along with the 802.11 standards specification, the solution can detect and report multiple channels used by any SSID with a larger channel width.

You can use the list of visible SSIDs to filter input based on the following parameters: signal strength, supported 802.11 standard, security types, and used frequency bands. At the bottom of the Scanner tab are graphs that you can switch between. In addition to typical graphs showing signal strength and channels used, visualized data on data transfer rates, channel load and number of clients are also available. The bottom of the screen displays information about your current connection. In the "Advanced Information" tab you will find various data about network activity, up to the number of unprocessed packets.

The Current Connection tab displays more detailed information about the current wireless connection. Here you will access and manage the list of wireless network profiles saved in Windows 10, which can be useful because in this latest version The Windows operating system no longer provides native access to and management of this list. The Wireless Statistics tab provides graphs and statistics for various types packets, both for the physical (PHY) layer and for the data link (MAC) layer, which will be useful for conducting advanced network analysis.

LizardSystems WiFi Scanner software solution offers advanced exporting and reporting capabilities. Basic functionality allows you to save a list of networks in text file. Additionally, you can generate reports summarizing the types of networks found during the scan, any SSID data logged, any comments you added, and snapshots graphs. These are pretty impressive features for a freely available WiFi scanner.

In summary, LizardSystems WiFi Scanner really impresses with its functionality, including output filtering and reporting capabilities, as well as advanced information about the data packets being transmitted. It can be an important part of your go-to toolkit for maintaining and testing WiFi networks, but keep in mind that the free license is only available for personal use.

NetSpot (Windows and macOS)

NetSpot is a software solution for researching, analyzing and improving WiFi networks. The commercial version uses mapping tools for thermal visualization of coverage areas, but this is not available in the free version for home use. However, this solution is proposed both for operating rooms Windows networks, and macOS. In this review article, we will look at NetSpot Free version 2.8 - a free, significantly stripped-down version of the company's paid products for home and corporate use.

The NetSpot Discover tab is a WiFi scanner. Despite the simple graphical interface, it has a modern appearance, and the network details of each SSID are displayed in bold and clearly visible. Signal levels are shown in negative dBm values (current, minimum and maximum) as well as percentages. Hidden networks are not displayed in the free version, and the ability to export data is not supported (although there is such a button, it is not active).

When you click on the “Details” button at the bottom of the application window, combined graphs of signals and used channels for each WiFi range, generated for the SSID networks selected from the list, are shown. Additionally, each SSID's signal information is displayed in a table view so you can see the exact values received by the application during each scan.

Overall, the free version of NetSpot does a good job of detecting WiFi networks (although it does not support working with hidden networks). And yet, free solution has very limited functionality, as broken links to large number additional features- this includes the inaccessibility of visualizations, the inability to use a heat map, and the lack of export.

WirelessNetView (Windows)

WirelessNetView is a small utility from the NirSoft web resource that works in background and monitors the activity of wireless networks around you. It is offered free of charge for personal and commercial use. This is a fairly simple WiFi scanner, available in both portable and installable form. For the purposes of this article, version 1.75 is considered.

The WirelessNetView solution's graphical user interface is not very fancy - it's just a window with a list of wireless networks. For each detected network, the following information is available: SSID, signal quality at the current time, average signal quality over the entire observation period, detection counter, authentication algorithm, information encryption algorithm, MAC address, RSSI, channel frequency, channel number, etc. .

Thus, signal level indicators this utility provides negative dBm values, as well as percentages for the last received signal and the average for the entire observation time. But it would be even better if we also had access to the average values for the RSSI of a particular access point over the entire observation period. Another unique piece of available analytics that WirelessNetView offers is a measure of how often each SSID is detected, which can be useful in certain situations.

Double-clicking on any of the detected wireless networks will open a dialog box with all the information about a particular network, which can be very convenient, since your screen width is clearly not enough to view all the details in the main list. Click right click mouse over any network from the list allows you to save data for that specific wireless network or all detected networks into text or HTML files. The Options toolbar menu displays some options and additional functionality, such as filtering, MAC address format, and other display preferences.

Please note that this utility lacks a number of advanced features that we expect to see in modern WiFi scanners. First of all, we are talking about a graphical presentation of information, full support for the 802.11ac standard and, accordingly, recognition of all channels occupied by an access point that can use a larger channel width. However, the WirelessNetView solution can still be useful for simple monitoring of wireless networks or small WiFi space, especially if you find some of the unique functionality this utility is valuable to you.

Wireless Diagnostics (macOS)

Beginning with OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.4 and later operating systems, Apple provides a Wireless Diagnostics tool. It is more than just a WiFi scanner; it can help detect and fix WiFi connection problems. But the best thing is that it is a native toolkit included in the operating system. For this review, we will look at the Wireless Diagnostics software solution included in MacOS High Sierra (version 10.13).

To get started, press the Option key and then click the Airport/WiFi icon at the top of MacOS. You'll have more detailed information about your current WiFi connection, as well as access to the "Wireless Diagnostics" shortcut.

Opening Wireless Diagnostics will launch a wizard called "Assistant" that may ask for additional information such as the router's make and model, as well as its location. Tests will then be run to detect problems. Once verified, a summary of the results will be shown, and clicking the icon for each result will show expanded details and suggestions.

Although it's not entirely obvious, you also have more tools available to you than just the aforementioned wizard. While the wizard dialog is open, clicking the Window button at the top of the toolbar will provide access to additional utilities.

The Scan utility is a simple WiFi scanner that shows the usual data about detected wireless networks, as well as brief description types of networks and best channels. One of its main advantages is that it shows noise levels in WiFi channels, which most of the Windows scanners presented in this article do not show. However, it would be more convenient if all channels that use specific SSIDs with a larger channel width were listed, rather than just showing the channel width and the center channel.

The "Info" utility shows the current network connection and detailed detailed information about signal characteristics. The “Logs” utility allows you to configure WiFi, EAPOL and Bluetooth diagnostic protocols. The Performance utility shows line graphs of signal and noise, signal quality and data transfer speed of the current connection. The Sniffer utility allows you to capture raw wireless packets, which can then be exported to a third-party packet sniffer.

Thus, the utilities included in the Wireless Diagnostics family of operating tools MacOS systems really impressive, especially when compared to native wireless tools for Windows operating systems. You always have a WiFi scanner at your fingertips (which even shows you noise levels) and packet capture capabilities (with subsequent export options), and their troubleshooting "Assistant" seems really smart. However, to visualize WiFi channels, in our opinion, the channel usage graph is not enough.

In addition, to receive additional information Apple offers an excellent tour and guide to using Wireless Diagnostics.

Conclusions

Each of the diagnostic programs we reviewed WiFi networks has its advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, all these solutions, judging by user reviews, are worthy of downloading and evaluating in action. The choice of the optimal program for each specific case will be different. So try it!