Frequently Asked Questions

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Wi-Spy

Is the Wi-Spy capable of packet sniffing?

No. The Wi-Spy captures radio activity of all kinds above and beyond 802.11. It will show radio activity from microwaves, cordless phones, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and more. For our customers looking for a great packet capture utility, the AirPcap suite is the perfect solution! You can buy a packet analysis tool from MetaGeek. The AirPcap adapter is a great complementary tool to Wi-Spy.

What is Chanalyzer?

Chanalyzer turns data collected from a Wi-Spy and a wireless network interface into highly interactive charts and graphs which enables users to visualize their wireless landscape. Chanalyzer uses both a Wi-Spy and a wireless network card. With the wireless network card, Chanalyzer can display available access points as they appear in the spectrum which helps users to interpret the data from their Wi-Spy. Wi-Spy data can be found in the Density, Waterfall and Channels Table views while network data from the wireless network card can be found in the Networks Table and Networks Graph. If you are running Chanalyzer in a virtual machine like VMWare, you will need an additional USB Wi-Fi adapter to view network overlays.

Which Wi-Spy is right for me?

Two of MetaGeek’s Wi-Spy devices scan the 2.4GHz band. Most Wi-Fi traffic occurs in the 2.4GHz band, including interference from other devices.

Wi-Spy DBx – This is the most capable device that MetaGeek offers, as well as the best bang for your buck, especially when troubleshooting 802.11a, b, g, n, and even new cutting edge 802.11ac networks. Operating in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the DBx is perfect for comparing frequencies for wireless network planning. This is the device of choice for wireless professionals. It features a common RP-SMA connector and an omnidirectional antenna by default, and is compatible with directional antennas. The Wi-Spy DBx works with Chanalyzer Basic or Pro, which offer viewing, recording, and playback functionality.

Wi-Spy 2.4x – This device scans the 2.4GHz band. It belongs in the toolbox of every wireless tech dealing with the 2.4GHz devices. Like the DBx, the 2.4x has an external RP-SMA connector, and includes an omnidirectional antenna that swaps out easily for a directional. Use Chanalyzer Basic or Chanalyzer Pro for viewing, recording, and playing back spectrum data.

Why can’t I select the Wi-Spy in the Wi-Fi tab?

The Wi-Spy scans the physical layer, and can’t read packets. Chanalyzer pulls spectrum data from a Wi-Spy, and WiFi data from your wireless adapter. Chanalyzer will function without a wireless card, but the additional information can be very valuable in site surveys.

Will the Wi-Spy identify ZigBee devices?

The Wi-Spy is a spectrum analyzer, and is not capable of reading at the protocol layer. However it will see noise generated by ZigBee as well as any other type of transmitting device in the same band. A Wi-Spy and Chanalyzer will not distinguish between ZigBee nodes, but will attempt to identify them by the shapes and center frequencies ZigBee transmitters create in the spectrum. Chanalyzer has built-in ZigBee labels to aid in troubleshooting interference. Keep in mind, if you are looking to troubleshoot wireless interference, you will need a non-ZigBee tool, which will show all types of wireless activity. The Wi-Spy is capable of doing this.

ZigBee on Channels 11 to 26 in the 2.4 GHz as displayed by Chanalyzer

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Chanalyzer Pro

What are the requirements of Chanalyzer?

Chanalyzer 4 and Chanalyzer Pro require:
  • Wi-Spy 2.4x or Wi-Spy DBx hardware
  • Wi-Fi card (for Wi-Fi features)
  • Windows XP SP3, Vista or Windows 7
  • .Net 3.5 framework
  • USB

What are the differences between Chanalyzer 4 and Pro?

Both of the spectrum analysis programs are very similar. There are several additional features Chanalyzer Pro offers:
  • Report Builder
  • Waterfall Navigation
  • Utilization (Duty Cycle)
  • Device Finder
  • Automatic Device Pattern Matching

Why can’t I select the Wi-Spy in the Wi-Fi tab?

The Wi-Spy scans the physical layer, and can’t read packets. Chanalyzer pulls spectrum data from a Wi-Spy, and WiFi data from your wireless adapter. Chanalyzer will function without a wireless card, but the additional information can be very valuable in site surveys.

Where can I download Chanalyzer 4 or Pro?

You can download Chanalyzer 4 or Pro for free. A Wi-Spy is required for viewing and recording spectrum data, and a wireless adapter is required to overlay spectrum data with network information.

Chanalyzer 4 Download
Chanalyzer Pro Download

Chanalyzer Pro will install as a trial edition but can be unlocked by purchasing a license key.

How do I simultaneously record the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz?

With two Wi-Spy devices, you can simultaneously log the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. You can also alternate between them without creating additional files. Once a Wi-Spy is plugged in Chanalyzer will automatically start logging the data from both Wi-Spys. To toggle between each Wi-Spy use the session manager in Chanalyzer Pro: In Chanalyzer 4 a drop-down selection tool will appear in the bottom left corner of the application.

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Chanalyzer 4 (Basic)

What is the Density View?

The Density View displays how often a signal is detected at a specific amplitude. The graph shows signal amplitude over frequency. After a short time of gathering data, patterns begin to emerge in the Density View. The flat top pattern in the image represents a 40 MHz wide 802.11n file transfer. A density map view enables the user to quickly identify packet-based and analog patterns that may be interfering with your network. To see more specific information about a point on the graph, use the Inspector tool. The display options currently available in Chanalyzer Pro are: Current – This represents the received values at the most recent reading in the time span. Average – This is the average of the received spectrum activity in the selected time span. Max – This is the maximum points received across the band in the selected time span. Color by Amplitude – Display option to show highly populated frequency amplitude points using opacity with colors representing amplitudes. Color by Density – Display option to show highly populated frequency amplitude points using colors. Color by Utilization – Display option to show how constant transmissions are within a selected time range. Networks – By selecting Networks Chanalyzer will draw overlays of the SSIDs selected in the Networks Table. Transmitters (Pro only) – Chanalyzer Pro will attempt to automatically identify transmitters. This display option will toggle on the drawing of detected transmitters within the threshold settings. Outline – This represents the line Chanalyzer Pro attempts to match patterns too. This is most often used in creating a classifier. Inspector – This creates a hovering box above the cursor that displays specific numbers regarding a particular frequency amplitude point.

What is Utilization?

The Utilization (Duty Cycle) is a relative score that helps determine how usable a channel is. It measures the percentage of time at or above the Utilization Threshold. This threshold can be adjusted in the top left corner of the Utilization tab. The selected time span in the waterfall navigation is used in the Utilization calculation.

802.11g Utilization View at -75 dBm

How are the values in the Channels Table Calculated?

Current – This represents a single sweep from the Wi-Spy. The accumulation of these sweeps are used for the rest of the calculations below. Grade – This calculation uses the entire 20 Mhz width of a a Wi-Fi channel. Higher power levels near the center of the channel will affect the grade more negatively. A high grade of 90 or above can be interpreted as an “A” while 80 or above is a “B.” Anything below 70 is not recommended for Wi-Fi deployment. Average - For each channel range (for example, Wi-Fi Channel 1, 2401-2423MHz), Chanalyzer calculates the average power within that channel frequency range. Max - This value is the highest amplitude point within the Wi-Fi channel frequency range. Utilization – The percentage of all noise above a defined amplitude threshold. The default amplitude is -85dBm. Networks – Once network scanning is initialized Chanalyzer will count list the amount of networks detected

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Eye P.A.

What is the miscellaneous gray slice?

The gray slices contain valid packet data from a high amount of different sources. For example a capture file may have 10 top talkers that make up 90 percent of the total traffic. However 100 clients make up the remaining 10 percent. Instead of drawing each slice Eye P.A. aggregates them into miscellaneous slices. They are colored gray because they may contain management, data and control frames. To view any of the data in the gray slice click on its parent slice and all of the data will be redrawn.

What are the minimum requirements to run Eye P.A.?

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile (installer will direct you to download)
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Extended (installer will direct you to download)
  • WinPcap (installer will direct you to download)

What is the “Broadcast” SSID?

In 802.11 clients or stations can broadcast management frames called Probe Requests. Probe requests are generally used when stations are looking for access points within range. These do not occur in a SSID but Eye P.A. groups them into a Broadcast group.

Why won’t Eye P.A. open my .pcap file?

There are currently two types of .pcap files that Eye P.A. can open. The pcap must contain 802.11 frames with Radiotap or 802.11-common PPI headers. Typically these captures are created using:
  • Wireshark with Airpcap adapter
  • Mac OS X with Wi-Fi Diagnostics or WireShark in Monitor Mode
  • Linux with WireShark or Kismet
  • Export a .cap or .pcap from a wireless access point

Why are the packet counts different in WireShark and Eye P.A.?

Sometimes the capturing device receives packets that are malformed or corrupt. Eye P.A. drops any packets that do not have a proper Frame Check Sequence (FCS) in the packet even though Wireshark will display those packets.

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inSSIDer for Mac

inSSIDer for Mac doesn’t show any Wi-Fi data.

If the Wi-Fi data does not appear try toggling the Apple Airport to make sure it is enabled and running.

inSSIDer for Mac doesn’t work, how do I get a refund?

At MetaGeek, we stand behind our products and do our very best to support any issues that may arise over the course of using our products. In rare instances, however, there may be issues that arise that we aren’t able to find the fix for. If after contacting our Support Team we are unable to reach a resolution, obtaining a refund from Apple may be deemed the appropriate course of action. To request a refund from Apple, fill out this form. When filling out the description, be sure to include any correspondence with our Support Team where we directed you to request a refund. Please keep in mind that according to the App Store terms, all sales are final. Since the refund process is handled by Apple (not MetaGeek), the decision to grant refunds is at their discretion.

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