The software utility can be installed on your system, but you have the option of running it directly from the CD, which can be very convenient when you’re using a system other than your own. The Wi-Spy device gets recognized by Windows as a generic HID (Human Interface Device, like a mouse) so you don’t have to install any special drivers for it. Installing the Wi-Spy is quick and easy: you plug it in, and within about a minute you’re ready to go. A Mac OS X version of the utility is under development for late Spring release, and there is also a third-party Linux utility available, though it doesn’t have all the capabilities of the Windows version. The Wi-Spy will work with any notebook or desktop PC with USB 2.0 or 1.1 ports, though the included software utility requires Windows 2000 or XP with Microsoft’s. The company says the $99 Wi-Spy is the world’s smallest spectrum analyzer, and since it comes in the form of a USB key (and far from the biggest one we’ve seen, at that) we have no reason to doubt that claim, or that it’s the cheapest. But without a spectrum analyzer to “sniff the air,” confirming the presence of interference, finding a remedy can remain elusive.The Wi-Spy spectrum analyzer from MetaGeek may be the answer to your WLAN woes. If you’re lucky, you may be able to correlate a drop in performance (or perhaps even a complete loss of signal) with the phone ringing or someone nuking a burrito. Since interference problems can manifest themselves in many ways and can be either chronic or intermittent, they can be difficult to pinpoint.
You probably know about the myriad devices around the typical home (like microwave ovens, baby monitors, and many cordless phones) that can interfere with WLANs, but there are also equally potent and less obvious sources of interference, including Bluetooth devices and other nearby WLANs (which won’t show up in your WLAN client utility unless they’re set to broadcast an SSID).
If it seems like your Wi-Fi network isn’t working quite as well as you expected, there’s a good chance the problem is due to some form of interference. Pros: Inexpensive simple software displays information about non-Wi-Fi devicesĬons: Doesn’t read 5 GHz band, no external antenna support
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