Cognio's Spectrum Expert for WiFi 3.0

Posted by Jameson Blandford on July 26, 2006

Tags: Cognio,  Jameson Blandford,  Wi-Spy,  enhancements,  features,  interference,  spectrum analysis,  updates,  wireless LAN,  Channel and Distribution,  Data Networking & Management,  Data Protection,  Data Security,  Electronics,  Hotspots,  Interactive Applications,  LAN Access,  Linux,  Mobile and Wireless,  Network and Infrastructure,  Other,  Security Standards,  Servers & Storage,  Software and Web Development,  Technology,  WLAN,  WLAN Security,  Web Standards,  WiFi Wireless Networking,  Wireless

Channel: Data Protection, Networking & Mgmt, Other, Servers & Storage, Wireless

The Upshot Cognio's Spectrum Expert for WiFi 3.0 makes wireless LAN interference easy to track down, with the inclusion of new charts and user interface enhancements. IWLAN interference problems have been notoriously difficult to detect and resolve. With symptoms ranging from poor user performance to complete disconnection, interference from cordless phones, Bluetooth headsets and other devices operating in the 2.4-GHz band can spell trouble for even the most well-designed wire- less LANs. These problems are still relatively minor, but as more mission-critical applications such as voice over IP use your WLAN, interference problems will become magnified Cognio's Spectrum Expert for WiFi has brought much needed usability to WLAN spectrum analyzers since its inception. Unparallelled in its breadth of features, the product's charts, graphs and visual indicators provide an easy-to-understand dashboard for what has historically been hard to represent: the health of your WLAN's RF environment. Cognio Spectrum Expert for WiFi 3.0, $3,995 www.cognio.com

Spectrum analysis skills have never been common among network administrator specialties, but Cognio's latest release of Spectrum Expert for WiFi lets even analysis rookies combat WLAN interference. Several products exist in this category, at a wide range of prices, but Cognio's unique set of graphs and tools makes Spectrum Expert well worth its considerable premium.

Wireless LAN spectrum analysis provides a way to visualize and evaluate the RF airwaves essential to reliable WLAN communication. This type of expertise should not be confused with packet analysis, as spectrum analyzers interpret only information gathered about a WLAN's physical layer. MAC-layer analysis and packet capture fall within the scope of products like WildPacket's AiroPeek and AirMagnet's Laptop Analyzer.

Unique Usability

Many vendors market spectrum analyzers that require expert skill levels. Standalone analyzers from companies like Anritsu, Agilent Technologies and Avcom of Virginia don't always detect WLAN interference and have a relatively steep learning curve. More recent offerings, such as Berkeley Varitronics Systems' BumbleBee, Cognio's Spectrum Expert for WiFi and MetaGeek's Wi-Spy, use the laptop PC or Pocket PC platforms with specialized hardware adapters. The newer products are more portable and less expensive than the standalone devices, with easier user interfaces. Although Spectrum Expert has some similarities to BumbleBee and Wi-Spy, Cognio's product represents a distinct evolution in WLAN spectrum analyzers. Spectrum Expert boils down its raw view of the spectrum into clear visuals and alerts.

The 2.4-GHz interference emanating from most microwave ovens perfectly showcases the differences between the Cognio and MetaGeek products. As the screen captures show (see page 18), both products paint a similar "Swept Spectograph" picture, but Cognio's view is far more accurate, a result of the product's finer-resolution bandwidth. In addition, Spectrum Expert for WiFi will automatically analyze the microwave's signal pattern, providing detailed metrics such as power, duty cycle and even what 802.11b/g channels the interference conflicts with--a feature noticeably absent from competing products.