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Wireless Spectrum Analyzer on the Cheap
PennyManDeux writes "There's an article over at TheTechLounge looking at the Wi-Spy wireless spectrum analyzer. Here's a quote: 'Although most wireless boxes are able to push through the lower amounts of interference, some people, such as those living in apartments or otherwise deluged with many wireless signals may have problems. It is with this dilemma in mind that the people at MetaGeek created the Wi-Spy spectrum analyzer.' Cool thing is, it's only $100..."
Wires: the new wireless!
You can analyze spectrums all day long, meanwhile me and my Cat 6 are enjoying gigabit speeds! Thats some fast, fast porn baby!
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
I say apparently not because none of this functionality, commonly found in other spectrum analyzers of this type, is even mentioned.
How many high end frequency analyzers count as "of this type?" It's a $100 USB accessory. You wouldn't expect the same performance you'd get from a professional grade unit, would you? You mention some exceptionally useful functions, but you wouldn't expect them in a $100 box. Hell, the companion software for some of the nicer analyzers costs way more than $100. As for "others" in the type, what others are there?
Your Porsche to Bicycle compareson's not entirely bad, actually. But they're useful in different contexts. A Porsche may be awesome for canyon crawling or long distance driving, but I'd take a bike over one any day for short haul urban commuting.
Here, it doesn't take a $5000 professional grade spectrum analyzer to determine whether your microwave oven or portable phone is interfering with your $50 AP.
Different needs. Different tools.
>you didn't need a spectrum analyzer to get you to buy the higher frequency phones. You would have done that anyway.
to find the biggest offender, radios do go bad.
I got a SpreadSpectrum 2.4Ghz phone, 2*2.4Ghz access point, and a 5Ghz wireless video link, and 3*2.4Ghz devices accesing the access points, and a Microwave. It all works no problem together (except the microwave kills the video link when in use.)
My brother has a cordless phone, and 1 AP, and 1 Laptop. His phone knocks his laptop off the network everytime. whats the difference? could be his A.P. isn't switching frequencies when he tried to force it. Could be any other device in his house (or unshielded cable TV) is tieing up all but one frequeny in the AP's range, or it could be a really bad phone. It is cheap to replace the phone, since the problem is obviously tied to it's use, but if it is the A.P. he will likely be fighting the same issue in the future. If a neighbors device steps into the now open frequency at next power outage/etc.
with this we could look at what the phone, PC, TV, Sat, Laptop, etc each contribute to that spectrum (and walk around the house to find the strongest area to locate.) not just which device pushed us over the edge, and is easiest to power off for a long period. IE maybe he just needs to replace a $2 coax cable, but what a pain to cut the feed for hours while he tests every other scenariao.
-- that's exactly the point. at $100 it has potential use to a non-professional. At 20k, its effecively out of reach as a part of the toolkit you can think of using to try to improve your connection.
The problem with quotes on the internet, is that nobody bothers to check their veracity. -- Abraham Lincoln